Phillies Rookie Has Shown Incredible Poise After Rough Outing

The Philadelphia Phillies have to be thrilled with how their rookie has bounced back after a tough game.

Jun 8, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; The glove and hat of Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford (2) in the dugout during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies have not been able to find the right combination to make things work in their bullpen virtually all season long.

Their big free-agent signing, Brad Keller, landed on the injured list after injuring his UCL. Caleb Kilian, acquired from the San Francisco Giants ahead of the deadline, also landed on the injured list. Orion Kerkering struggled to the point that his role was changed.

Lefties Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks have struggled, and Brooks Raley, acquired from the New York Mets ahead of the deadline, has not met expectations. Jonathan Bowlan, who was excellent all season, has hit a rough patch, surrendering one earned run in four straight appearances.

That has left interim manager Don Mattingly scrambling for answers, and he has landed on rookie Alex McFarlane as an option. In his first real chance to solidify himself as a go-to late-game option in high-leverage situations, the right-hander fell short.

Alex McFarlane showing veteran poise bouncing back

Sep 6, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Alex McFarlane (71) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With a 4-1 lead in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves, McFarlane was summoned out of the bullpen after Aaron Nola threw seven excellent innings. He retired the first batter of the inning, but allowed the next two to get on, setting the stage for Ronald Acuna Jr. to hit a game-tying, three-run home run.

Jhoan Duran would surrender a run in the ninth inning, leading to a Phillies loss that put a damper on their hopes of winning the National League East.

While certainly a disappointing outcome for McFarlane, who needed only eight pitches to get through his inning of work in Game 1 of the four-game set against the Braves, what has been most impressive has been how he has bounced back from the poor outing.

It was the first time in his Major League career that he faced any adversity. Through his first 11.1 innings pitched, he had a 0.79 ERA. Some players would let that snowball, but the letdown against Atlanta seems to be a blip on the radar, because he has been excellent since that point once again.

Alex McFarlane has started another scoreless streak

Sep 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Alex McFarlane (71) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

McFarlane pitched a shutout inning against the Houston Astros the next time he was called upon in an 11-7 victory, throwing in the eighth. In Game 1 of the three-game set against the Braves at Truist Park, McFarlane had another shutout inning, recording the third hold of his Big League career.

Two days later, in the finale, he was called upon again. He was the first reliever out of the bullpen after Andrew Painter worked through five innings and once again, he shut the door, picking up his fourth hold in a shutout inning with two strikeouts.

That kind of poise and bounceback ability is why so many people believe the future is so bright for McFarlane. His number was called four times with the team’s season on the line against a division rival, and in three of them, he got the job done.

He is almost assuredly going to be a big part of the Phillies’ bullpen in the postseason, quickly gaining the trust of Mattingly ahead of Duran.

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