Connor Brogdon Was a Bright Spot in Philadelphia Phillies' Game 2 Loss

Connor Brogdon brought the heat in the Philadelphia Phillies' Game 2 NLCS loss against the San Diego Padres.

Author:
Leo Morgenstern
Oct 20, 2022 1:00 PM EDT

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The Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff had their first truly bad outing of the postseason on Wednesday, allowing eight runs to the San Diego Padres on 13 hits, two walks, and one hit-by-pitch. While it was surely a game the team would soon like to forget, there was at least one bright spot from the disastrous affair: Connor Brogdon.

Brogdon retired the side in the fifth inning, getting Austin Nola to fly out to left field and striking out Jurickson Profar and Juan Soto swinging. Nola and Profar each put up a fight, with both of their at-bats lasting eight pitches, but the Phillies' reliever came out on top. Soto, meanwhile, looked totally lost against Brogdon's changeup, striking out on just four pitches.

Overall, Brogdon threw 20 pitches in the inning, 16 of which were strikes. He induced 15 swings and allowed only one ball into the field of play.

Perhaps most impressive, Brogdon's velocity was up. During the regular season, he averaged 95.1 mph with his four-seam fastball (per Baseball Savant). In his first two postseason appearances, he averaged 95.1 mph and 94.9 mph respectively.

On Wednesday, however, his average fastball velocity was sitting at 96.6 mph. Even his slowest four-seamer of the night, a 95.8 mph pitch to Profar, was faster than his average in either of his first two postseason appearances. Best of all, he threw three pitches at 97 mph or faster, one to each hitter. He had yet to throw a pitch that speed all season.

Last year, when Brogdon broke out as a potential bullpen stud for the Phillies, he averaged 96 mph on his four-seam, topping out close to 99 mph. It was a promising sign to see him get his velocity closer to those heights in his latest appearance.

If Brogdon can continue bringing the heat with his four-seam fastball and catching hitters off guard with his changeup, he can be another effective weapon in Rob Thomson's bullpen arsenal. Philadelphia will need all the bullpen help they can get in NLCS Games 3 and 4, so Brogdon will surely get another chance to prove himself soon.