Five things we learned from the Phillies-Cardinals series
By John Town
Seranthony Dominguez is the real deal
Seranthony Dominguez was the Phillies first big in-season call-up this year. He is ranked as the team’s 10th-best prospect according to MLB.com. He transitioned from a starter to a reliever this year, rocketing his way up from Double-A to the major-leagues. After being in the majors for a few weeks, he is proving he has plenty of potential.
Dominguez has been one of the team’s most useful pitchers since being called up. In Thursday night’s action with the Cardinals, Dominguez was called on in the seventh after Vince Velasquez allowed runners to reach second and third with one out. Dominguez induced a fielder’s choice at home plate, then got a fly out to center field to keep the game at 1-0.
Saturday night Dominguez was called on again after the Phillies took a 7-6 lead in the eighth inning. He then pitched two perfect innings, striking out two as he recorded his first major-league save. His experience as a starter proved useful as manager Gabe Kapler felt confident letting him pitch multiple innings.
After the game, Kapler told reporters that he feels Dominguez is a truly great player: [quote via Matt Breen of Philly.com]
"“He’s a strike thrower and that’s a really good profile for a reliever who throws 97 to 99,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “ ‘I throw 97 to 99, plus I throw strikes, plus I can land my secondary pitch for a strike and, by the way, that’s kind of nasty too. Oh, and my fastball has cut and sometimes sink.’ Those are all characteristics that make us feel that Seranthony is special.”"
Dominguez has still not allowed a hit or walk since reaching the majors. He now has seven strikeouts in 6.2 major-league innings. So far, he has shown that he can be an effective reliever, and Kapler should use him as such.