In yesterday’s game, the Phillies had taken the lead thanks to Kyle Schwarber’s 30th home run of the season. The team had the lead and needed a fresh reliever, bringing in Jose Alvarado. His first pitch was 96 miles per hour….and went straight to the backstop. He ended up having the typical Alvarado appearance: striking out the first two hitters, hitting the next one, taking a bunt single and throwing it into right field to put runners in scoring position, then getting the third out on weak contact.
At some point, the Phillies will need Alvarado to settle into something a little more consistent. He had started to do so last season, but then, well, you know what happened there. It threw his then consistency into question as to whether it was artificial or not, making this season feel a bit more of the “same old, same old” when he enters a game. The question today is: do you have any trust in him when he enters a game any longer? Personally, if a left handed reliever is needed, I’d just as soon see Kyle Backhus on the mound than Alvarado, but the latter’s velocity with his stuff does help mitigate whatever platoon advantage a right handed batter might have.
It also throws into the spotlight the need this team has for another left handed reliever, but that’s a separate question for another day.
