PHOENIX — It’s ironic — and cruel — that just as the Phillies' starting pitching is beginning to settle in, their bullpen is doing the opposite. But it is their reality right now. Since June 1, the Phillies bullpen has pitched to a 5.27 ERA. Over that span, their starters have pitched to a 3.09 ERA.
This trend came to bite them on Wednesday night in the Phillies’ 4-3 win. After Ranger Suárez gave them his best start of the season — tossing seven shutout innings — Seranthony Domínguez took the mound in the eighth. He hasn’t looked as sharp of late. Dominguez threw just 10 strikeouts (of 19 pitches) in his last outing on June 11 against the Dodgers, allowing a home run.
He allowed another on Wednesday. Dominguez gave up a leadoff double to the Diamondbacks’ nine-hole hitter, Jake McCarthy, then allowed a walk to Geraldo Perdomo, but induced a pop out and a fly out to get two quick outs. He was one pitch away from escaping damage, but on a 2-2 count, he fed a hanging slider to Norristown, Pennsylvania, native Christian Walker. Walker knew exactly what to do with it.
