This story was excerpted from the Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
PHILADELPHIA -- There is nowhere on a big league roster where roles can change faster than in the bullpen -- and few contenders have experienced that more in recent years than the Phillies.
This season is no different.
Though the addition of setup man Brad Keller was supposed to help solidify the back end of the 'pen, his season-ending elbow surgery has left the Phillies searching for the right combo in front of closer Jhoan Duran.
Orion Kerkering seemed poised to be a part of that group. Yet despite stepping up initially in Keller's absence, Kerkering has struggled over the past couple of weeks.
It has seemingly reached a tipping point for interim manager Don Mattingly.
“I think you get to a point where you have to pick up on what you see," Mattingly said over the weekend when asked about Kerkering's role moving forward. "And maybe change that role a little bit."
That comment came after Kerkering walked a batter and served up a two-run homer in Friday night's series-opening loss against the Braves. It was the sixth consecutive outing in which he had allowed at least one hit -- and the fifth time in those six appearances in which he gave up at least one run.
After putting up a 2.43 ERA in the first half, Kerkering has a 7.64 ERA over 17 2/3 innings since the All-Star break.
Kerkering hasn't turned in a 1-2-3 inning since Aug. 16 against the Twins. Over his past six appearances, he's allowed seven runs (five earned) off seven hits, three walks, two hit batters and one wild pitch.
"Just not making the pitch when he needs it," Mattingly said. "We’ve seen it in a couple of different games, but I like his stuff. He’s one of our better arms in almost any situation."
Of course, that doesn't mean the Phillies won't need Kerkering down the stretch.
"Still know that he's going to have to get big outs at different times of the game," Mattingly said. "But I think it's fair to say that you have to pay attention to what's going on."
So, who steps into that role?
Well, it appeared that rookie Alex McFarlane was ready to run away with that opportunity ... until Sunday afternoon's 5-4 loss to the Braves.
The rookie reliever had thrived since rejoining the bullpen on Aug. 11, putting up a 0.79 ERA through his first 11 career appearances. He had been gradually deployed in tougher and tougher spots over the past two weeks -- but he finally ran into some trouble on Sunday.
Called on to protect a three-run lead, McFarlane allowed a pair of hits before serving up a game-tying three-run homer to Ronald Acuña Jr. He left the mound having recorded only one out while giving up three runs, raising his ERA from 0.79 to 3.09.
Again, that's how quickly things can change in the bullpen.
“He's been working his way up, for sure,” Mattingly said prior to Sunday's misstep. "He's been throwing the ball well."
Teammate Alec Bohm elaborated a bit further.
"Dude, he’s really good,” Bohm said. “I’m glad he’s on our team. I feel like he's just getting more and more confident every time he gets out there. And that’s going to be huge for us down the stretch. I mean, he’s got elite stuff. It’s a very talented arm.
"The more and more that kid can get his feet wet for us and just get comfortable out there is going to be really important."
Nobody knows this situation better than Kerkering himself.
He was in a similar spot as a late-emerging bullpen piece for the 2023 club, albeit with far less experience. He took on a significant role in the 'pen that postseason despite having made only three big league appearances following his MLB debut on Sept. 24, 2023.
McFarlane is now trying to carve out a similar path -- and the Phillies could certainly use him.
McFarlane's four-seam fastball has topped out at 102.2 and is averaging 100.2 mph, but that's far from his only weapon. Opposing hitters are a combined 2-for-15 (.133) with seven strikeouts against his slider and sweeper.
"It’s 100, and it's moving," Bohm said. "So, yeah, really happy with what he's been doing. It's been cool to see him come up and have success. It's good for him, it's good for us, it's good for everybody."
It'd be even better if the Phillies could have both McFarlane and Kerkering pitching well down the stretch -- but they will need at least one of them.