Phils believe young 'pen will rise to occasion

July 25th, 2020

PHILADELPHIA -- appeared to tire and the Phillies needed to keep things close on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park, so manager Joe Girardi made a pitching change.

He summoned rookie Ramón Rosso from the bullpen in the sixth inning with a runner on second and one out. Girardi had other options on Friday, but most of them lacked big league experience, too.

The Phillies cut ties in the past week with veteran relief pitchers Francisco Liriano, Anthony Swarzak and Bud Norris. They sent veteran Blake Parker to Allentown, Pa., to remain part of the organization’s 60-man player pool. The front office released the first three, it said, not for financial reasons, but because it believed it had better arms, even if they lacked experience.

But on a night when Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara quieted the Phillies’ offense, the bullpen could not keep things close to give themselves a chance in a 5-2 loss.

“That didn’t work quite the way we wanted it,” Girardi said.

It is just one loss, but it is one loss in a 60-game season. Every game is worth 2.7 games compared to the traditional 162-game schedule.

“These games count a lot,” said Didi Gregorius, who hit a solo home run against Alcantara in the fifth. “We don’t have a lot of time to catch back up if we fall too far back.”

It is another loss against the Marlins, too. Miami lost 105 games last year, but the club went 10-9 against Philadelphia. The Phillies play six of their first 13 games against the Marlins. They need to beat them.

“I talked to some of the guys about it,” Gregorius said. “They told me that for some reason they always get them. I mean, I told them like, we’ve got to stop it and just get W’s. That’s what we need to do.”

Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola allowed one run through five innings when he found trouble in the sixth. It was just his third time off a mound this summer, which might explain why his fastball velocity averaged 91.5 mph compared to 93.1 last season. Nola got to camp late because he came into contact with somebody who tested positive for COVID-19. He walked Miguel Rojas to start the sixth inning and allowed a two-run home run to Jesús Aguilar on an 0-2 curveball to make the score 3-1. Corey Dickerson followed with a double.

“I felt good, honestly,” Nola said. “I just missed a couple spots where I was trying to go.”

Enter Rosso.

Rosso is a starter recently turned into a reliever because of his power arm. It was just his third relief appearance in 63 overall appearances in his professional baseball career. Girardi liked him in that spot.

“The power that he has and how he’s pitched,” he said.

But Rosso looked uncomfortable from the beginning of his big league debut. He appeared to cross up J.T. Realmuto. He walked a batter, threw two wild pitches and allowed a double in one-third of an inning, turning a 3-1 deficit into a 5-1 deficit.

Rosso is the first Phillies pitcher to throw two wild pitches in his big league debut since Cliff Brantley on Sept. 3, 1991, when he threw two in four innings in a start against the Reds. Rosso is the first Phillies reliever to do it since Bill Hoffman on Aug. 13, 1939, when he threw three in one frame (though he lasted four innings) against the New York Giants.

“Oh, I’m sure,” Girardi said when asked if Rosso probably experienced some nerves in his big league debut. “I’ve never met anyone who hasn’t. I remember mine quite vividly, how I was so nervous that first game. We still really like his arm. We like his stuff. Like all young kids, they get over it.”

Girardi and Rosso chatted afterward.

“We’ve all been there,” he said he told him. “Sometimes it goes really well and sometimes it doesn’t. I still really believe in that young man. He’ll get through it.”

Reggie McClain followed Rosso. Austin Davis followed him.

The trio made their first Opening Day rosters this year. It might take time to get the bullpen settled, Girardi acknowledged. It just can’t take too long. There are only 59 games to go.

“There’s some youth down there,” Girardi said. “We have to put them in the best situations to be successful.”