José Alvarado’s July struggles make Phillies’ trade deadline needs more obvious

The Philadelphia Phillies came up short in their first game back from the All-Star break on Friday, as José Alvarado failed to protect a one-run lead in the ninth, resulting in a frustrating 8-7 walk-off loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Phillies have now dropped their last two ball games, but remain 8.0 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East.

The Phillies pitching staff looked rusty in this one, with starter Aaron Nola laboring through 80 pitches in five innings while allowing four earned runs on five hits. The Phillies offense more than did their part against Pirates starter Martín Pérez, punishing the left-hander for six earned runs, including two home runs off the bats of Trea Turner and Weston Wilson in 3 2/3 innings. Offense wasn't much of a problem for either team on Friday night, despite the Phillies bats only managing a 3-for-11 showing with runners in scoring position.

With Nola's pitch count becoming an obvious concern, it was clear pretty early on that the Phillies were going to have to rely on some major contributions from the bullpen in this one. Following a scoreless inning of relief from Gregory Soto, Orion Kerkering struggled in the seventh, allowing two runs on three hits, and the Pirates were able to make it a 7-5 ball game. Next up was Jeff Hoffman, who struck out all three Pirates he faced in the eighth.

José Alvarado’s July struggles make Phillies’ trade deadline needs more obvious

Considering Alvarado's recent struggles, it was already a curious decision to see Hoffman pitch in the eighth. Sticking to the script, manager Rob Thomson made the very questionable choice to hand the ball to Alvarado to close the game in the ninth. It did not go well.

With the Phillies clinging to a tight 7-6 lead, Alvarado could only manage to get one out in a shambolic 1/3 of an inning, allowing two runs to score, including the decisive walk-off single by Pirates second baseman Nick Gonzalez. When all was said and done, Alvarado allowed two hits, and two earned runs, in addition to walking one, and recording only one strikeout.

Friday night's blown save is the latest in whats becoming a concerning trend for the hard throwing left-hander.

In six July appearances, Alvarado is 0-1 with an 11.81 ERA, while allowing seven earned runs on nine hits, with opposing hitters batting a healthy .375. Factor in five walks to only four strikeouts this month, and you start to wonder if opposing hitters have figured out a selective approach with Alvarado's secondary pitches, while taking their chances against his overpowering fastball.

While it's easy to chalk it all up to a tough July, Alvarado is 0-2 in his last 15 appearances with a 6.43 ERA, while his season ERA has ballooned to a less than stellar 4.35 ERA in 39 1/3 innings.

With Jeff Hoffman fresh off an All-Star appearance, and currently looking unhittable, it’s not unreasonable to question why Thomson continues to trust Alvarado in save situations when Hoffman appears to be the better choice to take the ball in close games.

While many will argue that Alvarado is 13-for-16 in save opportunities this season, what we've seen recently sure doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.

With less than two weeks remaining until the MLB trade deadline, it's becoming abundantly clear that the Phillies have to choose a direction with their closing situation.

Keeping Alvarado in that role should not be choice number one.

The Phillies either have to use Jeff Hoffman as the full-time closer for the remainder of the season, or they'll have to trade for one. The need for a more consistent ninth-inning option is something that has become increasingly clear over the last month and a half. And as we get closer to the trade deadline, it seems like the perfect time for the Phillies to give Hoffman an exclusive look in the closer's role before considering a costly trade to acquire one at the end of the month.

This is a Phillies team that already has most of the talent it needs to get back to a World Series, but it would be nothing short of disappointing to see the them pass on filling some obvious needs before the trade deadline ends on July 30.

Do the Phillies have to trade for a closer? That's debatable. But if Alvarado's recent struggles have taught us anything, there's a developing need for another lock-down type of pitcher in the back of the Phillies bullpen. One way or another, it's time for the Phillies to abandon this band-aid approach to bullpen management and start prioritizing shutting down opponents in winnable ball games the rest of the way.