September 01, 2026
Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Phillies rookie right-hander Alex McFarlane has been a pleasant surprise for an emerging bullpen.
It's taken months and several makeovers, but the Phillies' bullpen has finally rounded into form, at least for the moment.
Is it still shaky? Sure. But there's a lot less breath-holding every time a reliever enters the game these days, especially after an abysmal first half of the season.
In August, as the Phillies were ringing up MLB's best record for the month (21-7), the bullpen became a major reason for the team's overall success. Per FanGraphs, the Phils finished with the fifth-best bullpen ERA (3.18) last month. Before August, the bullpen's 4.47 ERA ranked 24th, among MLB's worst.
Against the Angels over the weekend, five Phillies relievers combined to toss 9.0 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits to enable the team's fourth sweep in the past five series.
On Monday, five relievers combined for four scoreless frames against the Diamondbacks to support another solid start from Aaron Nola as the Phillies won their fifth straight.
Finally, the Phillies have found some consistency among their relief arms, but September promises to be more challenging.
Who can manager Don Mattingly rely on most in the season's final month as the Phillies prepare for a pennant chase and more beyond?The Phillies are back in control of their playoff destiny.
He's holding down the mop-up role while trade acquisition Caleb Killian remains on the Injured List. Like much of the bullpen, the right-hander has seen better results in August, with a 3.86 ERA in 9.1 innings.
His season ERA is down to 4.70 after reaching 5.09 earlier in the month. But Shugart did allow at least one run in four of seven August appearances. On the flip side, he hasn't allowed more than one run in an appearance since July 20.
For some reason, he's still being used in high-leverage situations. But with a 5.62 ERA and 1.55 WHIP – both career worsts – Alvarado shouldn't be trusted to get important outs against left-handers, or anyone. He's had trouble finding the strike zone all season, with a 4.2 BB/9 rate that's tied for his worst since 2022. Even worse, lefties are slashing .325/.423/.428 against him. He's not even doing his main job well.
Alvarado's 4.66 August ERA and 1.65 WHIP are troubling, but not as troubling as Mattingly still relying on the veteran southpaw late in games. On Monday against Arizona, Alvarado entered the eighth with the Phils up 2-1 and allowed a one-out single and then issued a walk to put the go-ahead run on base but managed to escape the jam without any damage. Against better teams in September and the postseason, Alvarado might not get the same result.
He's the most maddeningly inconsistent arm in the bullpen. There are nights when Kerkering resembles a future closer – and nights when he can't find the strike zone. The 25-year-old right-hander has filthy stuff but too often struggles with location, and last year's disaster against the Dodgers in the NLDS clinching game will haunt him until he proves otherwise.
Kerkering is 7-1 this season but his 3.86 ERA and 1.28 WHIP are more indicative of his inconsistency. He and free-agent signing Brad Keller were supposed to represent the strong right-handed setup to closer Jhoan Duran, but Keller is out for the season and the Phillies are finding better results from other right-handers. Kerkering's ERA actually rose in August from 3.43 to 3.86. He has allowed at least one run in five of his last six appearances.
The 38-year-old southpaw has been a solid, not spectacular, option since coming over in a trade deadline deal with the Mets. In New York, Raley pitched to a 1.96 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 45 appearances, making him an attractive commodity. He's been much in Philly, sporting a 3.52 ERA in 10 appearances.
Raley has fared better lately, with just two hits allowed in his last four outings, but lacks the kind of swing-and-miss stuff you want late in games, especially in the postseason. He has just eight strikeouts in 7.2 innings with the Phillies. For the season, his K/9 rate is 8.7, way down from his 9.9 career average.
In his second season with the Phillies, Mayza has emerged into one of the team's most dependable left-handed arms. His 3.34 ERA and 1.07 WHIP are third-best among the current relief regulars, behind right-handers Jhoan Duran and Jonathan Bowlan. Mayza has capably filled the role that was supposed to be for lefty Tanner Banks, who struggled for much of the season before going on the 60-day IL. Banks has the potential to return later this month, but Mayza isn't going anywhere.
In August, the 34-year-old allowed just one run on six hits in 10.2 innings and struck out 11 for a 0.84 ERA. Left-handers are slashing just .211/.257/.326 against him for the season.
What a ride it's been for the Phillies' 2022 fourth-round pick who toiled in the minors for his first two seasons then missed 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. McFarlane struggled last year with a 6.35 ERA in four games with Double-A Reading after posting a 4.72 ERA in 24 games with Single-A Jersey Shore.
But this season, McFarlane has flashed a fastball that consistently reaches triple digits, and after breezing through hitters at Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley for the first half, the 25-year-old right-hander capitalized on the Phillies' season-long bullpen issues and has found a spot in the majors, now getting high-leverage outs, like on Monday night in the sixth against Arizona.
Up late watching Alex McFarlane highlights hbu pic.twitter.com/wnXYjRM4hR
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 1, 2026
McFarlane has a 0.87 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 8.7 K/9 rate in his 10 outings since being called up July 22. He's made five straight appearances without allowing a hit after allowing at least one hit in his first five. The Phillies are riding his hot hand at the moment, as they should, but his inexperience makes him somewhat of a dice roll going into September games that have playoff seeding implications and into the postseason.
Bowlan has become what Brad Keller and Orion Kerkering were supposed to be – a right-hander who puts out fires late in games or provides the bridge to Jhoan Duran when the Phillies are either tied or ahead by a few runs. The bearded, 6-foot-6, Lane Johnson lookalike totes a 2.90 ERA – second-best among the Phillies bullpen arms who have at least 50 appearances, behind only Duran.
Bowlan, who came to the Phillies in the offseason trade that sent Matt Strahm to Kansas City, struggled earlier in the season and then spent some time on the IL. At one point, he carried an 8.31 ERA and looked like another failed Dave Dombrowski bullpen move, but he has been spectacular since the start of May. In his last 43 games, Bowlan has a 1.76 ERA in 41 innings, with 53 strikeouts.
At this point, Bowlan is the most reliable high-leverage right arm the Phillies have, and with Keller not coming back and Kerkering still erratic, they'll need Bowlan to keep being that guy over the final month and into the postseason.
No shocker here. Duran one of the best closers in baseball, if not the best. The All-Star has been asked to log a truckload of work this season, with an NL-leading 47 finished games along with 29 saves. Duran has a career-best 1.61 ERA and also a career-best 12.3 K/9 rate. When he enters the game, it's usually lights-out for the other team. The 24-year-old superstar has blown just two saves this season.
Duran is the closer the Phillies have needed for the postseason since they made their World Series run in 2022. They've had some good relievers on the back end, but none with the electric stuff Duran has and none who really shined in the playoffs. The only concern is the workload Duran has already accrued could catch up to him in the postseason.
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