Philadelphia Phillies: A medical marvel with 3 Achilles heels
By Tim Boyle
2. Philadelphia Phillies Achilles heel: The bullpen
Once again, the Phillies have a questionable bullpen. Although Corey Knebel, Seranthony Dominguez, and Brad Hand all have good ERAs, this is hardly enough to make up for the rough starts from Jeurys Familia and Jose Alvarado—two of their most frequently used relievers so far this season.
The Phillies have been able to get some quality innings out of Nick Nelson and Andrew Bellatti. However, it’s those previously mentioned names that would need to be consistently sharp in order to declare the bullpen overhaul a success.
Every time Joe Girardi does lift one of the starting pitchers, there is a sinking feeling in the pit of stomachs throughout the Delaware Valley. Is this the day where the bullpen blows it? Chances are, you could be right.
At some point during the last decade the Phillies became a team known for having bad bullpens. What happened? Remember the brief era of Brad Lidge, J.C. Romero, and even Chad Durbin? When do they convert a top starting pitching prospect into becoming the next Ryan Madson?
If MLB games lasted seven innings, this team might actually stand a chance in a 162-game season. Unfortunately, baseball is two innings longer. Starters are don’t go as deep as they used to. As a result, there’s a ton of nail biting and an untrustworthy but also shallow bullpen to rely on.