Category: Phillies/MLB

And then there was one.

Don Mattingly stands alone among baseball’s interim managers after the Mets and Red Sox announced Tuesday that they will retain Andy Green and Chad Tracy, respectively, with each receiving a three-year contract to stay at the wheel of those clubs.

The Phillies aren’t ready to make a similar commitment to Mattingly.

Asked if there has been more thought to Mattingly’s future in the dugout beyond this season, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski replied in a text message, “No, there has not been.”

“[We] have felt it is better to wait,” Dombrowski added, “until our season is complete.”

Mattingly, whose son Preston works under Dombrowski as general manager, agreed to a two-year contract in January to be the Phillies’ bench coach. He took over for deposed manager Rob Thomson on April 28 — but only after Dombrowski offered the job to Alex Cora, who had been fired a few days earlier by the Red Sox.

Under Mattingly, the Phillies were 77-51 entering play Tuesday night and closing in on a National League wild card, with a four-game lead over the Diamondbacks with six games remaining. It was the third-best record in baseball in that span behind the Brewers (84-45) and Rays (78-49).

Mattingly, 65, said in July that he would be interested in staying on as manager, even though he previously believed his days of leading a team were over. He previously managed the Dodgers and Marlins.

“I like doing it,” he said during a series in Cincinnati before the All-Star break. “I didn’t come here to do it, but I actually like doing it. And I’d committed two years [as bench coach]. In my mind, I told Dave two years, right? So, at that point you make a commitment with your family and what’s going on with everything, that you’re going to do this for two years.

“So, if that’s something that Dave wanted me to do, I would be fine with it.”

But Dombrowski’s relationship with Cora has prompted speculation throughout the sport that they may be poised for a reunion with the Phillies. They won a World Series together in 2018 with the Red Sox as manager and president of baseball operations.

Cora got fired by the Red Sox on April 25. Dombrowski spoke with him that day and offered him the Phillies’ job the day after, even though Thomson hadn’t been let go yet. But Cora, who was owed $13 million by the Red Sox through the end of the 2027 season, opted to take time with his family in Puerto Rico.

“I’d really come to the conclusion that, if [Cora] took it, I was going to make a change,” Dombrowski said after firing Thomson with the Phillies off to a 9-19 start. “And I thought that he might take it.”

If Cora wants to return to managing next season, maybe Dombrowski is keeping the Phillies’ seat warm. In April, he referred to Cora as “one of the finest managers in the game of baseball” and compared him favorably to Hall of Fame managers Jim Leyland and Tony La Russa.

In 2022, after Thomson was elevated from bench coach to replace fired Joe Girardi in May, Dombrowski removed the interim tag after the Phillies won the wild-card series. It’s possible Mattingly may need to lead the Phillies on a longer playoff run to shed the interim tag. Then again, he does have one year left on his initial contract and his son in the front office.

In any case, it all figures to play out over the next few weeks.

Luzardo update

One week after being placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained shoulder, ace lefty Jesús Luzardo is “still trending in the right direction,” according to Mattingly.

“He just continues to throw and continues to feel good,” Mattingly said after Luzardo played catch for a third day in a row from as far as 120 feet. “Keep moving.”

If the Phillies have a target date for when Luzardo may progress to a mound, Mattingly wasn’t saying.

“Every day is kind of like, how he comes back tomorrow,” Mattingly said. “We’re moving in the right direction. He feels good every day. He hasn’t come back with any kind of inflammation or lack of range [of motion] or anything like that, so it’s been good.”

Luzardo, who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 7, is eligible to return from the injured list Sunday, though it’s doubtful he will pitch in the regular-season finale. The Phillies remain hopeful Luzardo will be ready for the wild-card miniseries, likely in a relief role.

Extra bases

Setup reliever Jonathan Bowlan also continued to throw with more intensity after straining his right groin last Thursday night. “I don’t know about [getting] in a game yet,” Mattingly said. “But he’s been throwing and doing better every day.” … The Phillies named righty reliever Alex McFarlane and infielder Bryan Rincon as recipients of the Paul Owens Award, presented annually to the organization’s top minor league pitcher and player. … Aaron Nola (7-10, 4.49 ERA) will be opposed at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday by Brewers righty Logan Henderson (10-3, 2.51).

The Phillies returned from their final road trip of the season with work to do.

Their magic number to clinch a postseason berth is three. Any combination of wins and Diamondbacks losses that totals three will ensure the Phillies’ season continues beyond Sunday. But while they remain in control of their own destiny, it won’t be easy.

To close out the final week, the Phillies host the top team in the National League in the Brewers, followed by the top team in the American League in the Rays.

Here are a few takeaways heading into the last homestand of the regular season:

Multi-inning McFarlane

The circle of trust in the Phillies bullpen right now is extremely small. The relief unit has a 5.50 ERA in September, and the club took the drastic measure of optioning Orion Kerkering to triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday after his struggles became untenable. Unless there is an injury to another member of the staff, he is ineligible to be on the wild-card roster.

While the Phillies’ rotation and closer Jhoan Duran are among the best in the sport, it’s the bridge between them that has been the biggest issue. The Phillies continue to hope Jonathan Bowlan (groin) will be available for the postseason. The right-hander began playing catch Sunday, and reported to the field on Monday’s off day to continue his progress.

Before the injury, Bowlan had been going through a rough stretch, having allowed a run in five of his last six appearances. Even if he were a full go, it would be hard to imagine tossing him right back into an eighth-inning, high-leverage role after spending some time on the shelf.

Enter Alex McFarlane.

The 25-year-old rookie came through in a big spot against the Mets on Sunday, facing two tough opponents in Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto to get out of a seventh-inning jam. By retiring both of them, McFarlane added a few more notches to his belt, which already included such stars as Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout, and Nolan Arenado.

But Sunday’s win over the Mets also revealed how interim manager Don Mattingly is planning to handle his relievers in the postseason. After McFarlane struck out Soto to preserve a two-run lead with his 18th pitch, there was initially no movement in the Phillies’ bullpen during the eighth. When the Phillies loaded the bases, that’s when Chase Shugart started getting ready.

Had the Phillies’ lead stayed at two, though, Mattingly was going to send McFarlane back out. Duran would have then started warming to relieve him, and then finish it off in the ninth.

It didn’t wind up happening, but Mattingly envisions using McFarlane and Duran to cover the last nine outs of a close game.

“I think it is [realistic] this time of year,” Mattingly said. “I mean, I think with Jho, you also get to the point where he’s capable of two innings. You’re just trying to get the guys that we need in the game, for as much as you can.”

So while the lack of relief depth is still a concern, things will operate a bit differently in the playoffs. The trusted high-leverage arms, as few as they are, can and will be called upon to do more.

McFarlane has thrown more than one inning just once in the two months he’s been in the majors, covering 1⅓ innings Aug. 15 against the Twins. He said he is ready to do whatever he’s asked.

“Just grateful for the opportunity,” McFarlane said. “Whatever opportunity he gives me, I’m just gonna take it one game at a time. Make sure I prepare my best, and just give all I can anytime he sends me out there.”

Starters in relief

The Phillies still haven’t mapped out how they will deploy their rotation in a wild-card series. That’s because there are a lot of unknowns: whether they will make it at all, who they will play if they do, and the health of Jesús Luzardo.

The club is “very optimistic” about Luzardo’s progress from the shoulder inflammation that landed him on the injured list, according to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Like Bowlan, he has also progressed to playing catch.

Should Luzardo remain on track to return in time for the postseason, Dombrowski said the Phillies are keeping their options open with how they deploy him. It could be as a starter, which might be a risk given his last outing will have been Sept. 7. It could also be as a reliever, a role Luzardo has less experience in, but experience nonetheless. In the deciding Game 4 of the 2025 National League Division Series, he held off the Dodgers for 1⅔ innings of emergency relief in extras, pitching on short rest.

His performance in that role was largely overshadowed by how the game ended, with Kerkering botching a bases-loaded grounder to allow Los Angeles to walk it off. Had Kerkering made the throw to end the inning and things turned out differently, Luzardo’s clutch bullpen appearance might have gone down as legendary instead.

Whether or not Luzardo is one of them, the Phillies bullpen will be getting reinforcements by way of the rotation for the postseason. The question is who.

“Some of our starters are going to end up in the bullpen,” Dombrowski said. “I don’t know how it’s going to work at this point, but some of them will, especially when you get to the first round. We’re going to be the best-of-three, so you only can start three guys at that point. So you got two other guys that can go into the bullpen.”

It’s difficult to see a world where Zack Wheeler or Cristopher Sánchez aren’t starting two of the wild-card games. Aaron Nola has continued his second-half resurgence with a 2.15 ERA since Aug. 3, but he has never been a reliever in any capacity during his major league career, regular season or postseason.

Rookie Andrew Painter continues to be under consideration for making the move. He gave up four runs in his last start against the Mets, but the quality of his stuff remained high. Painter’s first inning especially stood out, when he got Lindor to ground out before striking out Soto and Bo Bichette.

Painter touched 99.4 mph with his fastball in the fifth inning. In a shorter stint, it isn’t hard to imagine him getting into the triple digits.

“I think his stuff will be very solid out there,” Dombrowski said.

If the opportunity arises in the final six games, Mattingly said he could see the Phillies test-driving that theory by trying Painter out in the bullpen ahead of the playoffs. That said, time is running out.

Painter doesn’t think he necessarily needs a trial run to feel comfortable pitching in relief, however. He has experience with his routine shifting already, pitching behind an opener earlier this year and also appearing in relief after being scratched from his start because of a migraine.

“I feel like postseason baseball, in that atmosphere, the adrenaline is going to be flowing,” Painter said. “I don’t really think there’s much of an adjustment that’s going to be there. I think the adrenaline would just take over from that point.”

More patience from Turner

Whether the Phillies’ offense will get hot at the right time or slide back into a familiar October slumber remains to be seen. But there were some positive signs, particularly from the top of their order, in the series against the Mets.

En route to the series split, it was the top half of the order that carried a lot of the load — excluding a key bases-loaded triple from nine-hole hitter Justin Crawford on Sunday. And that’s how it will need to be for the Phillies to make a deep run.

They didn’t do it with the long ball, as the Phillies’ only two home runs in the series came from Derek Hill and Edmundo Sosa. Instead, they got on base, moved runners, and strung together hits.

Trea Turner in particular had a strong series. He finished 4-for-13 (.308), but the real eye-popping stat was his .526 on-base percentage.

If he could maintain some of that momentum, it would be transformative for the Phillies. What has been a disappointing season by most measures for Turner could be rescued with a strong postseason performance.

“I think more and more, you see how they’re pitching him, and it’s I think basically not throwing him strikes,” Mattingly said of Turner.

According to StatCast, 53.6% of the pitches Turner has seen this year are out of the strike zone. It’s a few percentage points higher than the 51.3% out-of-zone pitches he saw last year, and trails only Kyle Schwarber (54.8%) and Bryce Harper (57.4%) among Turner’s teammates.

The difference has been that Turner swings at those out-of-zone pitches at a much higher clip. His chase rate this year is 34.6%, the second-highest of his career.

But against the Mets, he showed a glimpse of what he could be if he homes in on his selectivity. Turner drew six walks in the four-game series. He also scored three runs.

“The more he walks, the more they’re forced in the strike zone,” Mattingly said. “And when he’s on base, obviously it creates a danger there with him running and things like that. We need him to get on base. When he’s on base, we’re better.”

NEW YORK — Alex McFarlane decided to challenge him.

The rookie reliever inherited a runner from Cristopher Sánchez in the seventh on Sunday, and allowed two singles to flip the Mets’ lineup back over. To get out of the jam, he now had to contend with New York’s biggest power threat: Juan Soto.

But in the two months that McFarlane has been a mainstay in the Phillies bullpen, he’s been put in a lot of tough situations. Soto, even with his 1.001 OPS against righties like McFarlane, was hardly any different.

“Big spot,” McFarlane said. “Just went at him.”

He attacked Soto with three straight heaters, dialing it up to 100 mph to blow it by the Mets slugger for the strikeout. McFarlane stranded the tying run at first base in a key moment in the Phillies’ rain-soaked 7-2 win over the Mets, as the club shrank its magic number to clinch the playoffs to three.

McFarlane’s performance, which lowered his ERA to 2.35, was also significant in light of the recent turmoil in the bullpen. The Phillies optioned Orion Kerkering to triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier on Sunday after his second-half struggles reached a boiling point. Brooks Raley has allowed at least one run in his last four appearances. Jonathan Bowlan has been progressing, but is still down with a groin strain. The bullpen has been hanging by a thread, but McFarlane again proved his mettle.

Interim manager Don Mattingly lifted Sánchez after 98 pitches and one out in the seventh — to Sánchez’s visible frustration — to allow McFarlane to face a pocket of right-handers at the bottom of the Mets order.

NL wild-card standings

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But New York wound up using two pinch-hitting lefties, who both singled to drive in the inherited runner, bringing up switch-hitting Francisco Lindor and then Soto.

“Obviously gave up a couple hits on the breaking ball, and then just kind of popped up Lindor, and then attacked Soto,” Mattingly said. “First time probably seeing him, it’s a kind of advantage our guy. Didn’t quite know the movement. Just coming right after guys.”

And McFarlane wasn’t the only rookie to come through. An inning later, Justin Crawford delivered a three-run triple with a line drive that split the Mets outfielders. Even a minor collision with an umpire on the base paths couldn’t stop J.T. Realmuto from scoring from first base.

Mattingly was planning to bring McFarlane back out for the eighth as yet another test for the 25-year-old as the playoffs near, but Crawford’s big hit gave the Phillies plenty of separation and Chase Shugart took the ball instead.

Crawford helped out defensively as well, recovering from an initial misread on a liner from Bo Bichette to make a sliding grab. Bryson Stott also made the catch on a fly ball while falling down for the second out.

Sánchez turned in 6⅓ innings to reach 200 on the season for the second time in his career. The lefty threw his changeup less than normal for him — just 26% of the time, compared to his season average of 37% — but filled the strike zone with his fastball. Three of his six total strikeouts came on his slider.

“I think I looked way better today,” Sánchez said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “I mean, changeup was working and the slider was working as well.”

He made some mechanical changes since his previous start against the Nationals, when he gave up five runs on eight hits. Sánchez has been doing extra work with the Phillies training staff to help him feel smoother on the mound, and he thought it paid off Sunday.

“We’ve also been working on some mobility, working on my body, and adding some mobility to it,” Sánchez said.

Bichette spoiled the shutout in the sixth inning with his 17th homer of the year. Sánchez had him in an 0-2 count, but Bichette fouled off six straight pitches until he got a slider over the plate.

Mattingly said the decision to pull Sánchez in the seventh was with the bigger picture of the postseason in mind, wanting to keep his pitch count in the 90 range. As he walked off the mound, Sánchez let out a yell in frustration.

“That’s just me, just part of who I am and what I do on the field when I’m on the mound, and trying to stay in competition right there,” Sánchez said. “So that’s just me. That’s how I felt. I wanted just to give the team the best chance, put them in a good position to win.”

The Phillies led all game, jumping on Mets right-hander Jonah Tong early. Kyle Schwarber started the first and third innings by drawing a walk, and both times it sparked a rally from the top of the order. He was aggressive on the base paths, successfully tagging up on a Luis Arraez sacrifice fly to left field in the first inning, and then scoring from first base on a double from Trea Turner in the third.

Schwarber finished with four walks while Turner worked two. In the four-game series in Queens, Turner finished 4-for-13 (.308) to go with six total walks.

“We need him to get on base,” Mattingly said of Turner. “When he’s on base, we’re better.”

Brandon Marsh struck out three times in his first three plate appearances, once looking, but saw a positive result in the eighth inning with a single off Kodai Senga.

NEW YORK — After extended struggles, the Phillies have optioned reliever Orion Kerkering to triple A, the team announced on Sunday.

The Phillies will continue their wild-card pursuit without Kerkering, who has struggled significantly in the second half. In four appearances in September, he had an 18.68 ERA. The right-hander headed to Lehigh Valley after Saturday’s 10-3 loss to the Mets.

The IronPigs’ season concludes on Sunday, but the Phillies will hold a “stay-hot” camp starting on Thursday for reserve players to be prepared if needed for potential postseason action. Kerkering will take a few days to reset and then participate in the camp. While he is not eligible to return for 15 days after being optioned, the Phillies would be able to bypass that rule in the event of an injury to another pitcher.

“Felt like he had lost confidence and just needed that to be able to try to right the ship, and it’s hard to do that here and now in this situation,” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “So it’s best to get it right, and get him right, and go from there.”

After getting knocked around for four runs in the eighth inning on Saturday, the Phillies reached a crossroads with the 25-year-old, who was unable to hold the game to a three-run deficit.

On Friday, with the Phillies trailing by one, Kerkering gave up a three-run homer to Juan Soto. Interim manager Don Mattingly said it was “hard to find places” to use Kerkering.

“It got to the point where it’s almost unusable,” Mattingly said.

In a corresponding move, right-hander Max Lazar was recalled from triple A. This is Lazar’s third stint with the Phillies this year. He has a 4.07 ERA in 42 minor league innings.

The Phillies once viewed Kerkering as one of their top high-leverage arms with the potential to be a setup man for closer Jhoan Duran, but he fell down the depth chart during his second-half struggles. Before the All-Star break, Kerkering had a 2.43 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Since then, though, those numbers have shot up to 9.43 and 1.95, respectively.

“He handled it fine,” Mattingly said of Kerkering’s reaction to the demotion. “Obviously, I’m sure guys are always disappointed. Nobody wants to be optioned, especially now. It kicks you right out of a chance, if we’re able to take care of our business and get into a playoff round, it kicks him out of that.”

Kerkering’s best offering, his sweeper, has no longer been effective. Hitters averaged .429 against the pitch in September.

In his outing on Saturday, Kerkering’s velocity had also lost a tick. His fastball, which has averaged 97.2 mph this season, sat at 95.3 mph.

Kerkering had been dealing with turf toe for a stretch in September, which had him in a walking boot away from the field for a period of time, but he said on Friday that was no longer an issue.

“I don’t know. I don’t think there’s anything physically wrong with him,” Mattingly said.

The Phillies will try to get to the bottom of Kerkering’s struggles in Lehigh Valley. This marks the right-hander’s first time being optioned since he made his major league debut in September 2023.

“Sometimes you need to step away, just like a lot of people,” said Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. “Sometimes you need to step away.”

Luzardo, Bowlan progress

While the rest of the Phillies have an off day Monday before starting the final homestand of the regular season, both Jesús Luzardo (shoulder) and Jonathan Bowlan (groin) will report to the field to continue to work.

Both pitchers played catch for the first time on Sunday, marking a significant step as they both work to return from injury. Dombrowski said the club feels “very optimistic” about both of their progress and potential readiness for the postseason.

The club is leaving the door open for Luzardo to return as either a starter or a reliever in the postseason and have not made any further decisions on how they would envision using him if he remains on track. He is eligible to be activated on Sept. 27 at the earliest, which is the last day of the regular season.

“Positive signs with him,” Mattingly said. “We felt he was getting better and better. The last couple of days, the range of motion was back, there was no more stiffness. Then the doc basically had to say, ‘Hey, start start playing catch.’ So that’s where we’re at. It’s been positive with him.”

Bowlan, on the other hand, is not on the injured list and is officially day to day with a mild groin strain, though it’s still not a guarantee he will be able to return by the end of the season. The team doctor, Steven Cohen, joined the club on its trip to New York to evaluate both Luzardo and Bowlan.

“Originally when it happened, he was saying maybe he could be back, but we haven’t had any further discussions, other than that he’s been progressing well,” Dombrowski said. “He threw out I think 90 [feet on Saturday] and felt good, but it’s a situation where we haven’t pushed it beyond that.”

Extra bases

Nestor Cortes pitched three scoreless innings in triple A on Monday, allowing two hits and striking out three. … Following Monday’s off day, Zack Wheeler (13-5, 2.99 ERA) will start the series opener against Milwaukee. The Brewers have not yet announced their starting pitcher for the game.

NEW YORK — Sometimes, following a tough outing for a Phillies reliever, interim manager Don Mattingly tries to throw them right back into the fire.

The idea is to help them flush their last appearance and turn the page quickly. And when the Phillies went down three runs to the Mets in the eighth inning on Saturday night, it seemed like a spot that would be soft enough for Orion Kerkering.

The bottom half of New York’s order was due up. Mattingly didn’t want to burn any more high-leverage arms. And perhaps a clean inning would help the right-hander rebuild some confidence after giving up a back-breaking three-run home run to Juan Soto the night before.

But instead, things spiraled even further. The Mets tagged Kerkering for four runs on four hits, two walks, a hit batter, and a wild pitch to put the game out of reach for a 10-3 Phillies loss. And concern for Kerkering, whose ERA in September is an eye-popping 18.69, has never been higher.

“I’d say a pretty high degree of worry about him,” Mattingly said.

Kerkering was unable to keep the game within striking distance for the Phillies offense, which mustered exactly three runs for the fifth consecutive game. Kerkering, who had once been viewed as a potential option as setup man for closer Jhoan Duran, no longer has a clear role on the staff.

“You have to be able to use him there, in a game like that,” Mattingly said. “I’m not going to try to chase a three-run deficit in that inning. It’s hard to find places to use him.”

Kerkering doesn’t appear to have much confidence in his sweeper, usually his most-used and most-effective pitch. He only threw 10 sweepers out of 36 total pitches for a 28% usage rate. Kerkering got A.J. Ewing looking on it for a called strikeout, but Mets hitters didn’t whiff once on the pitch.

Overall, his command wasn’t there. Kerkering only threw 13 pitches in the strike zone, and many of his misses were by a wide margin.

It was another deflating loss for a Phillies offense that had plenty of opportunity early to pile on. They came through with five hits with runners in scoring position, but those only translated to three runs. In total, they left 10 men on base, including leaving the bases loaded in the seventh.

The Phillies often got hits at the right time, but not always to the right spot. Luis Arraez came up twice with Trea Turner on second and delivered a single to left field. But both times, the ball was hit right to Soto, forcing Turner to hold up at third instead of scoring on the play.

“We had some balls today, I felt like a number of them,” Mattingly said. “If Luis’s balls aren’t right at Soto, where they’re playing, if that makes him go one way or the other, you’re going to score there.”

The top five in the Phillies’ order — Kyle Schwarber, Turner, Bryce Harper, Arraez, and Alec Bohm — accounted for eight of their nine total hits.

Andrew Painter, starting opposite his former high school teammate Christian Scott, was strong for the first four innings. But things unraveled quickly in the fifth. A four-pitch leadoff walk to Marcus Semien and a Brett Baty single came back to bite him when Francisco Alvarez hit a three-run homer to the opposite field.

It came on a fastball that just dotted the outside edge of the zone, which Painter wanted just a little more in, knowing that’s where Alvarez does a lot of his damage.

“I think the main thing is looking back on the four-pitch walk to lead off the inning, and kind of seeing a spiral there,” Painter said. “Leave a pitch over the middle for a base knock, and then that’s where the damage gets done.”

The Phillies, trailing by 4-3, were still in it in the sixth. But their first bullpen implosion of the night worsened matters. After Painter secured the first out of the inning, striking out Bo Bichette, Brooks Raley entered to face a pocket of Mets left-handers.

Twenty-two pitches later, Raley departed again without securing an out. Two walks and two singles allowed New York to add to their lead and left the bases loaded for Chase Shugart. It didn’t help that Justin Crawford initially misread the single from Baty and took a roundabout route to the line drive, allowing it to short-hop into his glove rather than making an out.

Like Kerkering, Raley has struggled significantly in the second half. When the Phillies acquired him from the Mets at the trade deadline, the left-hander had a 1.96 ERA. But since then, he has an 8.71 ERA. Hitters are averaging .333 against Raley in 10 ⅓ innings pitched after arriving in Philadelphia.

“He just doesn’t seem to be able to get the lefties on the sweeper, the one that kind of ends up off the plate,” Mattingly said. “If you don’t swing at that, then you got to get the one that stays on the plate. You’re seeing better swings off that. … Just haven’t been able to get those guys out.”

When Shugart took over, he got a quick pop-up for the overdue second out, but then issued a bases-loaded walk to nine-hole hitter Ronny Mauricio to force in another run.

Every Phillies pitcher walked at least one batter, for a total of eight free passes given to the Mets. With the deficit now at seven, Turner drew a walk in the ninth but Harper popped out and Arraez grounded out to end it.

“We haven’t been able to to keep the game in check,” Mattingly said. “Obviously, we’re disappointed to give up runs. We’re disappointed. But I think that’s been a little bit of a trouble spot, is basically just keeping the game in check.”

NEW YORK — As the Phillies bullpen continues to search for stability, there are high-leverage opportunities ready for someone on the staff to seize.

With Jonathan Bowlan day to day after a mild right groin strain and Orion Kerkering’s struggles reaching a new level with Juan Soto’s homer on Friday, the Phillies need their other right-handers to step up.

Despite only 14⅔ career major league innings under his belt, rookie Alex McFarlane might now be the top righty on the bullpen depth chart following closer Jhoan Duran, based on his firepower and elite stuff.

But interim manager Don Mattingly also sees right-hander Chase Shugart as potentially stepping into a higher-leverage role. Over his last seven appearances entering Saturday, Shugart has a 2.08 ERA with a 0.35 WHIP.

“Shug’s already in a bigger spot, honestly,” Mattingly said. “Yeah, I like the way Shug’s been throwing the ball over the last probably four to six weeks. He’s been really good, so he’s definitely put himself in a position that he’s probably getting more leverage, especially with Bo down. … The totem pole just keeps sliding up, keep trying to find out the combination out there.

“Obviously, that’s been a little tricky lately, but trying to find that combination of guys that you feel good about.”

Shugart hasn’t allowed an earned run in 3⅔ innings on this road trip. Mattingly showed faith in Shugart on Sept. 11 in Atlanta, when he called on the right-hander to pitch the bottom of the 10th. Shugart allowed a ghost runner to score on a sacrifice fly but prevented the Braves from walking the Phillies off to give the offense another chance. Atlanta wound up winning in the 11th with Brooks Raley on the mound.

“Shug’s been in that role. … He’ll take the ball. [If he] took it and threw 40, he would walk in the next day and say, “I’m good to go,’ that type of thing,” Mattingly said. “So there’s definitely something to having guys like that on your staff, that you like, because there’s toughness there, and you know that they don’t really scare. And if something goes bad, they’re not going to come up the next day and be all of a sudden different.”

Shugart exemplified that mentality earlier in the season when he pitched — and earned the win in — both games of a doubleheader against the Giants.

He went through a rougher patch in June, when he allowed four homers in six appearances and posted a 10.24 ERA on the month. But he found more consistency after working with Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham on refining his pitch selection. Since then, he’s been throwing fewer sweepers to left-handed batters, instead relying more on his changeup in those situations.

“He’s been solid all year,” Mattingly said. “It’s just really there was, in our minds, there was guys ahead of him at that point. We’ve had injuries, we’ve had some things go on. … Some guys that we kind of counted on for those roles, and now somebody’s going to have to step up, and I think he has the chance.”

Latest on Bowlan, Luzardo

Bowlan will not require a stint on the injured list for his groin strain and did not need to undergo an MRI, Mattingly said.

Jesús Luzardo (shoulder) still has not thrown, but the Phillies are encouraged with how he’s feeling and believe he’s improving.

“I don’t know if there’s anything really new, but the way he’s feeling feels new every day,” Mattingly said. “He looks good, smiling a little bit more, so he’s feeling better. Yeah, we’ll find out here in the next couple days.”

Before Luzardo is ready to start throwing again, Mattingly said that he likely will need to be checked out by a doctor to ensure that he has full range of motion and strength.

Extra bases

The Mets retired Carlos Beltrán’s No. 15 ahead of Saturday’s game. In 2011, Beltrán was traded to the Giants in a one-for-one swap with then-prospect Zack Wheeler. … Cristopher Sánchez (17-6, 2.93 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite Mets right-hander Jonah Tong (2-1, 3.43 ERA).

NEW YORK — José Urquidy lost one job Tuesday, found another Thursday, and barely sat down in the Phillies’ bullpen here Friday night when he was told to warm up.

“Hired gun,” interim manager Don Mattingly said.

Swell. How many more can the Phillies find?

Because with eight games left in the season, 11 days before the start of the wild-card miniseries, they are down one ace starter (Jesús Luzardo) and one setup reliever (Jonathan Bowlan). A pitching staff that was never deep in the first place is leaking oil.

And even though Urquidy introduced himself with 4⅔ scoreless innings, the Phillies lost, 6-3, to the Mets on three first-inning runs against opener Tim Mayza and Juan Soto’s three-run homer in the sixth against embattled Orion Kerkering.

“Just a rough last couple of months,” Kerkering said, and he might have been understating the depths of an 8.84 ERA since July 22, including runs in seven of his last eight appearances. “I think tonight was a lot better executing besides one pitch to Soto. But it’s just the turnaround, hopefully here soon.”

Soon, or never.

Zoom out, and the Phillies stayed tied for the top National League wild card because the Cubs blew a one-run lead in Cincinnati. But the Padres forced a three-way tie with a win at home over the Marlins.

How’s that for putting the “wild” in wild-card race?

It wouldn’t be quite as wild as Urquidy’s week. He got designated for assignment by the White Sox and was back in Chicago with his family when his agent called Thursday with an offer from the Phillies.

But there was one catch: Urquidy won’t be eligible for the postseason, assuming the Phillies get in, because he wasn’t in the organization on Sept. 1.

“I threw a little bit, and they told me to plan to come here [Friday] and throw,” said Urquidy, a 31-year-old righty who faced the Phillies in the 2022 World Series. “They asked me if I was ready for the day, and I said yes and everything was good.”

Wait, he threw Thursday? With whom?

“I found an academy in Chicago,” Urquidy said. “The academy was behind the airport, and I threw there. I was watching the time to see when my flight. It was a very crazy afternoon, actually.”

The only thing crazier would’ve been if Urquidy started the game. Instead, the Phillies went with Mayza, who delivered three scoreless innings last Saturday night in Atlanta after Luzardo was scratched with an inflamed left shoulder.

This time, Mayza faced five batters and got one out.

Soto and Bo Bichette put up back-to-back 10-pitch at-bats against Mayza before Carson Benge smashed an RBI single. And by the time Urquidy could get ready, the bases were loaded with one out.

Nice to meet you, too.

A.J. Ewing greeted Urquidy with a two-run single. But Urquidy set down 10 of the next 11 batters, and the Phillies chipped away at a 3-0 deficit against lefty Zac Thornton.

“José was really good today,” Mattingly said. “It was fun to watch, actually. It just seemed calm all day and no real panic in any situation. Yeah, it was fun to watch.”

Mattingly could choose to start Urquidy next Thursday when Luzardo’s turn in the rotation comes up again.

By then, the Phillies hope to have secured a wild card.

Unless the bullpen keeps melting down. It would help, of course, if the Phillies scored more than three runs, which has happened twice in the last eight games. But Mattingly is also running out of relievers that he can trust, especially with Bowlan sidelined now by a strained right groin.

Kerkering was making his first appearance in six days because of a case of turf toe. He gave up a leadoff infield single and a one-out single before hanging a sweeper to Soto with two outs.

Three Septembers ago, Kerkering made a meteoric rise to the majors because of his sweeper. It will always be his best pitch, but even he wonders if he has become too predictable.

“It’s maybe a factor of guys sitting on it more,” he said, noting that he throws his sweeper nearly 50% of the time. “It’s just been my bread and butter. I think most guys, if they shouldn’t know, they probably already know that’s my pitch now. I’m just trying to figure out how to attack guys a little bit better and go from there.”

Whatever the case, the Phillies need Kerkering to figure it out. Because Mattingly has little choice other than to keep using him.

“The one thing I can’t do is look backwards, right? And he can’t either,” Mattingly said. “And obviously, with Bow going down, we’re going to need good innings out of Kerky.

“Anybody that gives up runs, when things aren’t going good, your confidence is not sky high like when you’re getting all your outs and everything’s going smoothly. But we’ve got to get past that at this point.”

After all, there are only so many hired guns available.