The Philadelphia Phillies have an age-old conundrum they are trying to solve down the stretch of the regular season: their bullpen.
Year in and year out, the Phillies have a dominant starting rotation, but getting to the end of games has proven challenging. At least this time around, they have an All-Star at the back end in Jhoan Duran to close things out. Alas, getting the ball to him has been difficult.
Interim manager Don Mattingly doesn't have many relievers he can trust at this point. The team recently optioned Orion Kerkering to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after another disastrous outing. Jonathan Bowlan has a 7.04 ERA over his last eight appearances, giving up a run in six of them, including five consecutive outings.
Brooks Raley , acquired from the New York Mets ahead of the deadline, has pitched his way out of a postseason role. He hasn't helped solidify the left-handed options at all, with Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks struggling throughout 2026 as well.
Sep 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Alex McFarlane (71) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
That has left Mattingly turning to a hurler whom the team was hesitant to bring into the mix earlier this summer: right-handed pitcher Alex McFarlane . Fans clamored to see the rookie as part of the Major League bullpen, but the team wanted to see him overcome different obstacles with Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Eventually, their hand was forced because of injuries and ineffectiveness. McFarlane has stepped up when his number was called, becoming the second-most trusted relief pitcher on the team behind Duran in the process.
He solidified his standing in the pecking order in the series finale against the New York Mets. The rookie right-hander entered with multiple men on base, allowing one of them to score, with the earned run being charged to Cristopher Sanchez. But, with the game on the line, he delivered.
Mets star Francisco Lindor popped up for the second out of the inning. Facing a situation similar to the one he failed against the Atlanta Braves , when Ronald Acuna Jr. took him deep to tie a game in the eighth inning, McFarlane was going head-to-head with Juan Soto .
This time, he won the battle. The rookie threw his fastball three times, all of them hitting the zone. The first was 99.3 mph, which Soto swung through. The second was 101.1 that he took looking, before the third was blown by him at 100.2 mph to end the threat.
"I mean, big spot," McFarlane said, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required). "Just went at him. So, obviously, great hitter. He's obviously earned all the respect in the game. Just went at him with what I got. I trusted my stuff."
That sequence is why fans wanted to see him up in the Big Leagues sooner, and why he has rapidly moved up the pecking order for Mattingly. McFarlane was going to be tasked with getting the final outs of the game with Duran if the need had arisen; no one else was getting the ball in a high-leverage situation against New York.
It didn't come to that, thanks to Justin Crawford adding insurance runs with a bases-clearing triple to make the score 7-2 in the top of the eighth, but it speaks volumes about the current state of the bullpen .
Mattingly has trust in McFarlane, and he is going to be called upon to fill a massive role out of the bullpen as the only trusted arm ahead of Duran.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/phillies/onsi as Phillies Counting on Alex McFarlane To Fill Massive Bullpen Role .
