As Matt Strahm resumes throwing for Phillies, fellow lefty José Alvarado continues spring dominance vs. Tigers
Alvarado was always a pivotal piece of the Phillies bullpen. But Strahm’s potential absence for the first couple of weeks of the season has amplified the big lefty’s role.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — The most significant Phillies bullpen news Saturday came when Matt Strahm resumed throwing for the first time in 10 days and reported no pain in his inflamed left shoulder.
Is there time for him to be ready by opening day?
“I think that there’s a chance,” manager Rob Thomson said after a 2-2 tie with the Tigers. “But we still have to lengthen him out, bullpen [session]. He’ll throw a [live batting practice] in there in between. So, those things take some time.”
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OK, we’ll check back. Meanwhile, get a load of the Phillies’ other high-leverage lefty reliever.
José Alvarado continued his eye-popping spring in the sixth inning by striking out the heart of the Tigers’ order — Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres, and Kerry Carpenter — on 16 pitches, 11 of which were clocked at 100 mph or more. Alvarado has struck out 15 of 22 batters in six scoreless Grapefruit League outings.
“It’s tough to see from the dugout, but seeing him throw, and highlights and stuff, it’s much [of] what you saw,” said Zack Wheeler, who allowed two unearned runs in five innings. “It’s really good.”
Alvarado was always a pivotal piece of the Phillies’ bullpen. But Strahm’s potential absence for the first couple of weeks of the season amplifies the big lefty’s role.
Last season, Alvarado posted a 4.09 ERA in 66 appearances and slid on Thomson’s list of trustworthy relievers. He also left the team for a week in late August for personal reasons. But he recommitted to getting in better shape in the offseason, switching to a high-protein diet that enabled him to lose weight and gain back velocity.
Alvarado struck out Greene on a cutter, then whiffed Torres on a 101.8 mph sinker and outlasted Carpenter in a seven-pitch at-bat by getting him to swing through an elevated cutter.
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What stood out: Lefties don’t get much tougher than Tarik Skubal, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. But the Phillies’ left-handed hitters held their own. It wasn’t only Bryce Harper, who tallied two hits. Bryson Stott punched a two-strike single up the middle in the fifth inning, while Brandon Marsh reached on two infield singles.
“Marsh saw the ball really well,” Thomson said. “He didn’t get out of the zone. I thought they did fine. [Skubal] is tough, man. He’s got good stuff. And he comes right after you. It’s strike one, strike two. The changeup’s really good. It’s the reason why he’s won a Cy Young.”
On the mound: In addition to Alvarado, relievers Jordan Romano, Orion Kerkering, and Devin Sweet each pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen. Sweet is an option for the Phillies if Strahm opens on the injured list.
Health check: Alec Bohm fouled a pitch off his foot in the sixth inning and appeared to favor it while running out an infield single. But he reported no problems after the game. Bohm isn’t scheduled to play Sunday anyway, according to Thomson.
Quotable: “It’s spring training. You have your good innings, bad innings, performance-wise and feel-wise. As long as you get through it healthy, that’s always the biggest thing in spring. I’ve been able to do that so far.” — Wheeler on getting ready for the season.
On deck: The Phillies will make the 62-mile drive to Sarasota to face the Orioles at 1:05 p.m. Sunday (94-WIP). Jesús Luzardo is scheduled to face former Phillies righty Zach Eflin.