The Phillies Have A Serious Craig Kimbrel Problem

Most of the Phillies did their job tonight. They had a 5-2 lead going into the 7th. Some very iffy pitching by Gregory Soto and Orion Kerkering made it a 5-3 lead. But it was when Craig Kimbrel came in that the game turned onto its head. A 2-run HR off the bat of pinch hitter Alek Thomas tied the game. He then let two more base runners get on before finally getting pulled. Jose Alvarado let one of those runners score, and that was all she wrote. A Kyle Schwarber double was not enough in the top of the 9th, and the Phillies lost 6-5, allowing the DBacks to tie up the series.

There were several issues in the game. None graver though than Craig Kimbrel. Orion Kerkering coming in and looking great was a bit of a pipe dream considering he had next to no MLB experience. But Craig Kimbrel is supposed to be one of their key guys out of the bullpen. Now he has taken two straight losses, and given up 4 earned runs over the last two games.

The starters continue to get it done. Christopher Sanchez didn't last long, but he was decent enough. At most, he would have to start one more time this postseason. The rotation is not a concern considering how well Wheeler, Nola, and Suarez have pitched. Did the lineup leave a little on the table? Sure. But we know this team can hit. The bullpen may become a concern though if you can't even trust Kimbrel with a  2 run lead.

At times this season, Kimbrel looked fantastic. We have not seen that guy in at least 3 months though. Even his scoreless outings this postseason were full of anxiety. Alvarado can be trusted. Matt Strahm can be trusted as well. As can Jeff Hoffman. Seranthony Dominguez is a bit of a question mark. And now after tonight, Craig Kimbrel, Gregory Soto, and Orion Kerkering are a bit hard to trust. Soto and Kerkering struggling you could get past. But if this is who Kimbrel is going to be, the Phillies have a problem. Not a problem impossible to overcome, but a problem all the same.

Zack Wheeler takes the mound for the Phillies tomorrow. They may not have many of their bullpen guys available though. Michael Lorenzen and Taijuan Walker were the only guys who didn't pitch. And Alvarado and Hoffman pitched in both games. Luckily the DBacks are in a similar situation.

Well, that is not the way any of us saw games 3 and 4 going after the Phillies jumped out to a 2-0 lead. First, the bats go cold in game 3. Then in game 4, the bullpen blew a 5-2 lead. Now the series is tied up. The good news is 2 of the last 3 games will be played at Citizens Bank Park. But all the momentum they had when they got onto a plane is gone. They had the D Backs down, and they let them back on their feet. Luckily Zack Wheeler is taking the mound next, and few pitchers of late have been better than Wheeler in the playoffs.

In 9 playoff starts, he has a 2.63 ERA and a WHIP of 0.70. And we saw him mostly shut this lineup down in game 1. Apart from a Geraldo Perodomo HR, Wheeler was nearly unhittable. And that has been the case for much of this postseason. He shut down the Marlins, mostly contained the Braves, then held the Diamondbacks to 2 runs.

Who the Phillies have available out of the pen may be another question. Alvardo, Hoffman, Kimbrel, and Kerkering all pitched two days in a row, they will not be available. Dominguez, Strahm, and Soto pitched in game 4, but can probably pitch again. Walker and Lorenzen are the only guys who have not pitched, but how much you can trust them is to be determined. It's possible Ranger Suarez could come in out of the pen. He couldn't start again until game 7 and was used in a similar situation last postseason.

The best option is Wheeler pitching at least 8 innings, and the Phillies scoring a lot of runs off Zac Gallen, again. But does he have the advantage vs. this lineup?

.125/.222/.125/.347

1 for 8, 0 HRs, 0 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 0 RBIs, 1 BB, 1 K

.308/.400/.615/1.015

4 for 13, 1 HR, 1 2B, 0 3Bs, 2 RBIs, 2 BBs, 4 Ks

.357/.500/.571/1.071

5 for 14, 1 HR, 0 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 2 RBIs, 4 BBs, 3 Ks

.474/.474/.789/1.263

9 for 19, 1 HR, 3 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 4 RBIs, 0 BBs, 5 Ks

.000/.000/.000/.000

0 for 5, 0 HRs, 0 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 0 RBIs, 0 BBs, 0 Ks

.250/.250/.500/.750

3 for 12, 1 HR, 0 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 1 RBI, 0 BBs, 6 Ks

.000/.000/.000/.000

0 for 4, 0 HRs, 0 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 0 RBIs, 0 BBs, 1 K

.273/.273/.364/.636

3 for 11, 0 HRs, 1 2B, 0 3Bs, 0 RBIs, 0 BBs, 3 Ks

.222/.222/.667/.889

9 for 9, 0 HRs, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 RBIs, 0 BBs, 3 Ks

.252/.297/.468/.765

28 for 111, 6 HRs, 6 2Bs, 0 3Bs, 14 RBIs, 7 BBs, 33 Ks