The Philadelphia Phillies have leaned on Jose Alvarado as their primary left-handed reliever, despite a 7.03 ERA. Getty
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JULY 04: Orion Kerkering #50 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws against the Kansas City Royals in the eighth inning at Kauffman Stadium on July 04, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) Getty
After another brutal showing on Wednesday, July 8, against the Cincinnati Reds , the Philadelphia Phillies roster could undergo some adjustments with the left-handed relievers struggling in the bullpen.
" Obviously, the lefties have not had as much success ," manager Don Mattingly told reporters, including Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. " Our righties have had actually pretty good success [against] the lefties. I think we have to look at that, and just start trying to match up the best guy right there ."
The Phillies roster has leaned on Jose Alvarado as its primary southpaw reliever. He was pounded for four earned runs in the 11-5 loss to the Reds. Alvarado quickly turned a three-run deficit into a blowout. Fellow lefty Tanner Banks wasn't much better. He came in for starter Alan Rangel in the fourth inning and allowed three consecutive home runs. Elly De La Cruz , Sal Stewart , and JJ Bleday all took Banks deep.
The rough outing pushed Banks' ERA to 7.14. Alvarado's mark sits at 7.03. Banks and Alvarado have the two highest ERAs among qualified left-handed relievers this season.
GettyThe Philadelphia Phillies have leaned on Jose Alvarado as their primary left-handed reliever, despite a 7.03 ERA.
Alvarado has now permitted 11 earned runs over his last eight appearances. He's been used in tandem with Brad Keller and Orion Kerkering as setup men ahead of closer Jhoan Duran . Alvarado has locked down nine holds and a save. He's tied for the team lead in appearances with 38, matching Kerkering. Alvarado has been hurt by a career-high .444 batting average on balls in play.
" I have been a little bit unlucky, and you know, the results are not there either ," Alvarado said, relayed by Zolecki. " Keep going, keep working hard, keep improving, and you know, the second half is really close, so let's just hope that with that we can just turn it around ."
The Phillies inked Alvarado to a three-year, $22 million contract heading into the 2023 campaign. The club picked up his $9 million team option for this season. The 31-year-old has been a generally reliable member of the bullpen, outside of 2025, when he missed half the year due to a PED suspension.
Banks has been up and down with the big-league club. He's striking out more than a batter per inning. The 34-year-old has a career-high 8.9% walk rate. Banks has pitched in a variety of roles. Philly utilized him as an opener for one appearance. He's also worked multiple innings on occasion.
GettyKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JULY 04: Orion Kerkering #50 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws against the Kansas City Royals in the eighth inning at Kauffman Stadium on July 04, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images)
Leaning more on Kerkering might be the answer for Mattingly and the Phillies. The righty has held left-handed hitters to a .183 batting average this season. Kerkering has a 28.2% strikeout rate against lefty bats, nearly 5% better than his mark vs. righties.
Kerkering is already one of Philadelphia's most-used relievers. Getting Keller back from the injured list should take some of the burden off him.
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