The Phillies have traded left-handed reliever Austin Davis to the Pirates
The Philadelphia Phillies continue to make moves ahead of the August 31 trade deadline. After adding three relievers in recent trades with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the Phillies subtracted one from their organization.
On Wednesday, left-hander Austin Davis was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for a player to be named later and cash considerations.
We have acquired LHP Austin Davis from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for a player to be named and cash considerations.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 26, 2020
The 27-year-old was designated for assignment last week to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for David Hale, who was the first of three relievers acquired via trade with American League East teams.
Right-handed reliever Edgar Garcia was similarly recently dealt to the Tampa Bay Rays for a player to be named later.
In four appearances and three innings this season, Davis yielded10 hits, seven runs (all earned), one home run, and one walk en route to a 21.00 ERA and 3.667 WHIP.
Davis spent most of last season at the Triple-A Lehigh Valley level, going 4-1 with a 2.75 ERA; at the majors in 2019, he posted a 6.53 ERA across 14 appearances and 20 2/3 innings. Over the past three seasons overall, he posted a 5.86 ERA spanning 50 major-league appearances.
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The Phillies drafted the Scottsdale, Arizona, native in the 12th round of the 2014 draft out of California State University, Bakersfield in California.
The Phillies bullpen has improved in recent games, albeit slightly from their Major League-worst ERA that they have posted for a majority of the shortened 2020 season. Their combined 6.14 ERA since August 19 ranks as the fifth-worst in baseball, besting the Colorado Rockies (6.17), Houston Astros (7.71), Milwaukee Brewers (8.69), and New York Yankees (11.37).
The Phillies will continue their National League East division set against the Washington Nationals Wednesday evening, coming off of their strong showing in the series opener. Thirty-five games remain this season; just five days remain until the trade deadline.