Brad Lidge Is Loving What He Has Seen From The Phillies Bullpen
It feels like the Phillies bullpen has been an issue for the longest time. It was not too long ago that the Phillies pen was setting records for all of…
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – OCTOBER 17: Jose Alvarado #46 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts with teammates after a 10-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game Two of the Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park on October 17, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)It feels like the Phillies bullpen has been an issue for the longest time. It was not too long ago that the Phillies pen was setting records for all of the wrong reasons. But this season, and especially these playoffs, the pen made a complete 180. Through 8 games, the relief pitchers have allowed just 3 earned runs and 4 total. They have a 1.39 ERA across 71 innings. That is both the most innings any bullpen has pitched and the lowest ERA and least amount of Earned Runs. And one guy who knows a thing or two about pitching for the Phillies in the postseason, Brad Lidge, had some high praise for them.
"These guys are throwing 100 miles per hour in their bullpen, they should trust their stuff. They are all pitching with a high level of confidence. A high degree of recent success. I think they just know this is what it takes to win a World Series. Put (them) in wherever, and they will get the job done. Collectively they have just been tremendous. So I'm really impressed with the bullpen. Stuff-wise, command-wise, and confidence-wise, they are all dialed in...
The options from top to bottom are fantastic. Rob Thomson has done an incredible job mixing and matching, but keep in mind he has a lot of great options. The guys in the bullpen are really stepping up. You can leave Nola and Wheeler in, or you can go to the bullpen, everyone is getting the job done."
And you can't really argue with him. The bullpen has been nothing short of fantastic. They have blown just 1 lead when Jeff Hoffman served up a breaking pitch to Austin Riley for a go-ahead HR. Otherwise, the bullpen has taken every lead and shut the door on the other team. And they have had to really work in some of those outings. In game 1 against the Braves the Phillies went to the pen in the 4th inning, and the bullpen shut them out the rest of the way.
Bullpens are the key to winning the World Series. We saw that last year when the Astros bullpen helped shut the Phillies lineup down. Clearly, Dave Dombrowski saw that and took notes. Because he went out and got several guys with high-leverage stuff. Everyone out of the Pen throws in the high 90s, or even the 100s. And as long as they are pitching like this, and the starters are pitching like they are, it is hard to see any team scoring a lot of runs on the Phillies.
You can listen to the full conversation with Brad Lidge below:
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The Phillies 26-Man Roster For the NLCS Vs The Diamondbacks
The Phillies are back in the NLCS. For the second straight year, they knocked the 100+ win Braves out of the playoffs in the NLDS. Everyone called them the greatest lineup in Baseball history. Didn't seem so potent against the Phillies. They were held to just 7 runs across 4 games. With guys like Ronald Acuna and Matt Olson being quiet the entire series. And now, we can look forward to the NLCS and the Diamondbacks.
The Phillies get the next 3 days off. Which they may need after how much they partied after the win in game 4. And then on Monday, it begins. They need 4 more wins to get to the World Series, and 8 more to parade down Broad Street.
And there is good reason to be very confident in this team. As good as last year's team was, this roster is even better. To start, they have Trea Turner who is putting up crazy numbers. Bryce Harper is still the best playoff hitter ever. And now you have Nick Castellanos playing out of his mind after he struggled in the playoffs last year. And maybe more important, is how great the pitching looks.
The Braves may be choke artists, but that was still a very good lineup. They were shut down by the Phillies pitchers though. Wheeler, Nola, and Suarez all pitched gems. And apart from game 2, the Bullpen shut the door on the Braves once the starters came out. The bullpen goes deep, far deeper than it did last year. The lineup is just as deep. This team is very good.
So before the NLCS, let's get a reminder of just how good this 26-man roster is. And while we are at it, let's see how all of them have played against the Diamondbacks so far this season.
Here is what their 26-man roster in the NLCS vs the Diamondbacks will look like:
C- JT Realmuto
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.252/.310/.452/.762
20 HRs, 28 2Bs, 5 3Bs, 63 RBIs, 70 Runs, 16 SBs, 35 BBs, 138 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
.400/.478/1.000/1.478
8 for 20, 2 HRs, 2 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 6 RBIs, 8 Runs, 1 SB, 2 BBs, 2Ks
Playoff Stats
.273/.333/.636/.969
6 for 22, 2 HRs, 2 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 6 RBIS, 0 SBs, 1 BB, 5 Ks
1B- Bryce Harper
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.293/.401/.499/.900
21 HRs, 29 2Bs, 1 3B, 72 RBIs, 84 Runs, 11 SBs, 80 BBs, 119 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
.296/.441/.370/.812
8 for 27, 0 HRs, 2 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 4 RBIs, 4 Runs, 1 SB, 7 BBs, 6 Ks
Playoff Stats
.368/.538/.842/1.380
7 for 19, 3 HRs, 0 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 5 RBIs, 7 Runs, 1 SB, 7 BBs, 5 Ks
2B- Bryson Stott
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Season Stat
.280/.329/.419/.747
15 HRs, 32 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 62 RBIs, 78 Runs, 31 SBs, 39 BBs, 100 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
.393/.414/.786/1.200
11 for 28, 3 HRs, 0 2Bs, 1 3B, 5 RBIs, 7 Runs, 1 SB, 1 BB, 5 Ks
Playoff Stats
.238/.292/.381/.673
5 for 21, 1 HR, 0 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 7 RBIs, 3 Runs, 1 Sb, 2 BBs, 10 Ks
SS- Trea Turner
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.266/.320/.459/.778
26 HRs, 35 2Bs, 5 3Bs, 76 RBIs, 102 Runs, 30 SBs, 45 BBs, 150 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
.241/.353/.379/.732
7 for 29, 1 HR, 1 2B, 0 3Bs, 4 RBIs, 5 Runs, 4 SBs, 5 BBs, 6 Ks
Playoff Stats
.500/.538/.917/1.455
12 for 24, 2 HRs, 4 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 3 RBIs, 5 Runs, 4 SBs, 2 BBs, 4 Ks
3B- Alec Bohm
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.274/.327/.437/.765
20 HRs, 31 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 97 RBIs, 74 Runs, 4 SBs, 42 BBs, 94 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
.346/.346/.423/.769
9 for 26, 0 HRs, 2 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 8 RBIs, 4 Runs, 0 SBs, 0 BBs, 1 K
Playoff Stats
.190/.320/.286/.606
4 for 21, 0 HRs, 2 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 2 RBIs, 2 Runs, 0 SBs, 4 BBs, 6 Ks
LF- Brandon Marsh
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.277/.372/.458/.829
12 HRs, 25 2Bs, 6 3Bs, 60 RBIs, 58 Runs, 10 SBs, 59 BBs, 144Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
.263/.300/.316/.616
5 for 19, 0 HRs, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 RBIs, 2 Runs, 0 SB, 1 BB, 10 Ks
Playoff Stats
.357/.400/.643/1.043
5 for 14, 1 HR, 1 2B, 0 3Bs, 1 RBI, 2 Runs, 1 SB, 1 BB, 5 Ks
CF- Johan Rojas
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.302/.342/.430/.771
2 HRs, 9 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 23 RBIs, 24 Runs, 14 SBs, 5 BBs, 42 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
Has Not Faced The Diamondbacks
Playoff Stats
.048/.091/.048/.139
1 for 21, 0 HRs, 0 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 0 RBIs, 1 Run, 0 SBs, 1 BB, 9 Ks
RF- Nick Castellanos
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.272/.311/.476/.788
29 HRs, 37 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 106 RBIs, 79 Runs, 11 SBs, 36 BBs, 185 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
.258/.314/.355/.669
8 for 31, 0 HRs, 3 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 4 RBIs, 4 Runs, 1 SB, 3 BBs, 10 Ks
Playoff Stats
.391/.440/.643/1.083
9 for 23, 4 HRs, 2 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 5 RBIs, 6 Runs, 1 SB, 2 BBs, 3 Ks
DH- Kyle Schwarber
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.197/.343/.474/.817
47 HRs, 19 2Bs, 1 3B, 104 RBIs, 108 Runs, 0 SBs, 126 BBs, 215 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
.192/.364/.462/.825
5 for 26, 2 HRs, 1 2B, 0 3B, 3 RBIs, 5 Runs, 7 BBs, 6 Ks
Playoff Stats
.160/.222/.240/.462
4 for 25, 0 HRs, 2 2Bs, 0 3B, 1 RBI, 1 Run, 0 SBs, 1 BB, 10 Ks
INF- Edmundo Sosa
(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.251/.293/.427/.719
10 HRs, 15 2Bs, 2 3Bs, 30 RBIs, 34 Runs, 4 SBs, 8 BBs, 74 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
.182/.182/.364/.545
2 for 11, 0 HRs, 2 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 2 RBIs, 1 Run, 1 SB, 0 BBs, 4 Ks
Playoff Stats
Has not appeared
OF- Cristian Pache
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.238/.319/.417/.736
2 HRs, 7 2Bs, 1 3B, 11 RBIs, 12 Runs, 2 SBs, 10 BBs, 27 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
Did Not Face The Diamondbacks
Playoff Stats
.143/.333/.143/.476
1 for 7, 0 HRs, 0 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 1 RBI, 1 Run, 1 SB, 2 BBs, 3 Ks
1B/OF- Jake Cave
(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.212/.272/.348/.620
5 HRs, 8 2Bs, 1 3B, 21 RBIs, 18 Runs, 3 SBs, 15 BBs, 55 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
Did Not Faced The Diamondbacks
Playoff Stats
Has Not Appeared
C- Garrett Stubbs
(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Season Stats
.204/.274/.283/.557
1 HR, 4 2Bs, 1 3B, 12 RBIs, 15 Runs, 2 SBs, 9 BBs, 29 Ks
Stats vs Diamondbacks
.286/.375/.286/.661
2 for 7, 0 HRs, 0 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 0 RBIs, 1 Run, 0 SBs, 1 BB, 4 Ks
Playoff Stats
Has Not Appeared
SP- Zack Wheeler
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Season Stats
3.61 ERA, 13-6, 212 Ks, 192 IPs, 1,08 WHIP
Stats vs Diamondbacks
3.00 ERA, 1-1, 10 Ks, 12 IPs, 1.17 WHIP, 2 Starts
Playoff Stats
2.08 ERA, 1-0, 18 Ks, 13 IPs, .069 WHIP, 2 Starts
SP- Aaron Nola
(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Season Stats
4.46 ERA, 12-9, 202 Ks, 193.2 IPs, 1.15 WHIP
Stats vs Diamondbacks
5.40 ERA, 1-0, 9 Ks, 6.2 IPS, 1.05 WHIP, 1 Start
Playoff Stats
1.42 ERA, 2-0, 12 Ks, 12.2 IPs, 0.87 WHIP, 2 Starts
SP- Ranger Suarez
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Season Stats
4.18 ERA, 4-6, 119 Ks, 125 IPs, 1.42 WHIP
Stats vs Diamondbacks
3.75 ERA, 0-0, 12 Ks, 12 IPs, 1.00 WHIP, 2 Starts,
Playoff Stats
1.04 ERA, 1-0, 6 Ks, 8.2 IPs, 0.58 WHIP, 2 Starts
SP- Taijuan Walker
(Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
Season Stats
4.38 ERA, 15-6, 138 Ks, 172.2 IPs, 1.31 WHIP
Stats vs Diamondbacks
Has Not Faced the Diamondbacks
Playoff Stats
Has Not Appeared
SP/ RP- Michael Lorenzen
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Season Stats
3.44 ERA, 3-5, 96 Ks, 99.1 IPs, 1.05 WHIP
Stats vs. Diamondbacks
Has Not Faced the Diamondbacks
Playoff Stats
0.00 ERA, 0 Ks, 1 IP, 2.00 WHIP, 1 Appearance
SP/ RP- Cristopher Sanchez
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Season Stats
4.18 ERA, 9-9, 111 Ks, 153 IPs, 1.21 WHIP
Stats vs. Diamondbacks
8.1 ERA, 0-1, 3 Ks, 6.2 IPs, 1.20 WHIP, 1 Start
Playoff Stats
Has Not Appeared
RP- Craig Kimbrel
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Season Stats
3.26 ERA, 23 Saves, 94 Ks, 69 IPs, 1.04 WHIP
Stats vs Diamondbacks
0.00 ERA, 1 Save, 4 Ks, 3 IPs, 0.33 WHIP. 3 Appearances
Playoff Stats
0.00 ERA, 2 Saves, 1 Hold, 1 K, 3 IPs, 0.67 WHIP, 3 Appearances
RP- Jose Alvarado
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Season Stats
1.74 ERA, 10 Saves, 64 Ks, 41.1 IPs, 1.16 WHIP
Stats vs. Diamondbacks
0.00 ERA, 1 Save, 1 K, 1 IP, 1.00 WHIP, 1 Appearance
Playoff Stats
0.00 ERA, 0 Saves, 4 Holds, 4 Ks, 4 IPs, 4 Appearances
RP- Gregory Soto
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Season Stats
4.62 ERA, 3 Saves, 65Ks, 60.1 IPs, 1.14 WHIP
Stats vs. Diamondbacks
0.00 ERA, 0 Saves, 3 Ks, 2 IPS, 1.50 WHIP, 3 Appearances
Playoff Stats
5.40 ERA, 0 Saves, 1 Hold, 1.2 IPS, 2 Ks, 2.40 WHIP, 3 Appearances
RP- Seranthony Dominguez
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Season Stats
2.41 ERA, 1 Save, 69 Ks, 52.1 IPs, 0.92 WHIP
Stats vs. Diamondbacks
3.86 ERA, 0 Saves, 4 Ks, 2.1 IPs, 2.14 WHIP, 3 Appearances
Playoff Stats
0.00 ERA, 0 Saves, 2 Holds, 2.2 IPS, 4 Ks, 1.50 WHIP, 3 Appearances
RP- Jeff Hoffman
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Season Stats
3.78 ERA, 2 Saves, 48 Ks, 50 Ks, 50 IPs, 1.40 WHIP
Stats vs. Diamondbacks
27.00 ERA, 0 Saves, 1 Blown Save, 2 Ks, 1.1 IPs, 3 Appearances
Playoff Stats
18.00 ERA, 0 Saves, 1 Hold, 1-1, 1 K, 1 IP, 2.00 WHIP, 1 HLD, 3 Appearances
RP- Matt Strahm
(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Season Stats
3.29 ERA, 2 Saves, 108 Ks, 87.2 IPs, 1.02 WHIP
Stats vs Diamondbacks
9.64 ERA, 0 Saves, 4 Ks, 4.2 IPs, 1.71 WHIP, 2 Appearances
Playoff Stats
0.00 ERA, 1 Save, 1 Hold, 2.1 IPS, 1 K, 1.29 WHIP, 3 Appearances
RP- Orion Kerkering
(Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Season Stats
0.00 ERA, 0 Saves, 6 Ks, 3.0 IPs, 1.33 WHIP
Stats vs Diamondbacks
Has Not Faced The Diamondbacks
Playoff Stats
0.00 ERA, 1 HLD, 1 K, 3 IPs, 0.67 WHIP, 3 Appearances
