3 Phillies crucial to making postseason dreams a reality

Phillies pitcher Matt Moore

Surprised to see Matt Moore of all people on this list? Yes, the left-hander has had an utterly dreadful season, and he’s currently sporting an ERA higher than the GPA of your high school’s Valedictorian (6.29). And yes, there are more obvious choices, but for the Phillies to make the playoffs this season they need Moore to find another gear.

Matt Moore has been done a bit of everything for the Phillies, appearing in 24 games and starting 13. Sadly, he just hasn’t done any of it with much success. In 56.1 innings as a starter, Moore’s ERA is 6.55 and opponents have hit .281/.377/.531 off him. He’s faired a bit “better” as a relief pitcher with a 5.40 ERA in 16.2 innings.

With Moore in the bullpen, the Phillies don’t currently have a designated fifth starter they can turn to once every fifth day. Instead once per turn in the rotation they have a bullpen game where they rely on one of their relievers to open the game and then the rest of the ‘pen to step up. Typically, Moore sees action in these games as a long reliever.

Just because Matt Moore was demoted from the starting rotation, doesn’t mean he can’t play an important role in the Phillies’ race to the postseason. It’s not ideal by any means as Moore has consistently underperformed all season, but the team still needs him to fill a valuable role.