Bullpen Success Key to Winning

In a surprising turn of events, the Phillies find themselves with the best bullpen in the majors at the All-Star Break.

After suffering through what seemed like an incalculable number of miserable relief appearances from Jose Mesa, Ryan Franklin and Arthur Rhodes over the past few years, the club revamped its bullpen prior to this season by re-signing J.C. Romero, adding resurgent longman Chad Durbin, and trading for the stellar Brad Lidge. With the addition of a healthy Ryan Madson and surprisingly effective Rudy Seanez, the later innings aren’t such a worry anymore.

The pen had boasted a 2.60 ERA through the first month of the season, and it hasn’t faltered much since. Heading into this week’s All-Star festivities in New York, the relievers have combined for a 2.71 ERA to date. That even includes a few major meltdowns by Tom Gordon and recent callup RJ Swindle.

With Gordon currently on the disabled list and Swindle optioned back down to Triple-A Lehigh, Clay Condrey holds the unjust designation as the Phillies’ worst relief pitcher. Despite the distinction, his ERA is a very respectable 3.66, making him the only reliever whose ERA has risen above three.

To the delight of Phillies fans and players thirsty for a championship, this effective bullpen could stay intact for years to come. J.C. Romero and Brad Lidge are under contract for the next four years. Madson, Condrey and Durbin are under club control for several more years. However, Rudy Seanez will be a free agent at the end of this season and Tom Gordon has a club option for 2009 which will almost certainly be declined due to his lingering shoulder and elbow problems.

The Phillies will have two available relief jobs in 2009, and one internal option is lefty starter-turned-reliever Josh Outman waiting in the wings at Double-A Reading. Outman, who posted a combined 3.00 ERA in 159 innings as a starter between Single-A Clearwater and Reading last season, was converted to a reliever as a means to get on the fast track to Citizens Bank Park. He has responded well to the workload shift, posting a 3.20 ERA in Reading this season as a middle reliever. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise for the Phillies to look into established lefty relievers like Colorado’s Brian Fuentes or Kansas City’s Ron Mahay before the trade deadline approaches at the end of this month.

The opportunity for rest this week will be invaluable, as several players could use some time off to heal their bruises and clear their heads. The dog days of summer have been catching up to some relievers, and their performances have been shaky in recent weeks. Chad Durbin has given up five runs in his last three appearances. J.C. Romero’s ERA has risen from 1.59 to 2.17 since suffering a mild groin injury in Atlanta on June 7. But on the other hand, Brad Lidge has been brilliant in closing out all 20 save opportunities. Clay Condrey and Ryan Madson haven’t allowed a run since late June. Maybe the All-Star Break has come at the wrong time for some.

If this bullpen can continue to baffle the opposition late in games, they can become the best group of Phillies relievers since Rheal Cormier, Ryan Madson, Billy Wagner and crew helped the team to second place with a collective 3.71 ERA in 2004.

The last four Phillies teams to finish a season with a bullpen ERA under 3.37 were in 1977 (3.03), 1978 (2.92), 1980 (3.28) and 1983 (3.36). All four teams finished the season in first place, and the 1980 and 1983 teams advanced to the World Series. As we all know, the 1980 team sat alone atop the world and brought the parade down Broad Street. While bullpens are important and often overlooked by fans, history has shown that this is one statistic Phillies fans should be excited about.