With the fifth rotation spot being somewhat of a revolving door of late, the Philadelphia Phillies may finally have the arm to fill that role for the remainder of the season. At least, that's what they're hoping after their latest roster moves ahead of Saturday's game against the New York Mets.
After losing the series opener on Friday by a discouraging 11-3 score, the Phillies are looking to get back in the win column against their NL East rivals and keep dropping their magic number.
Phillies announce roster shuffle, recall Kolby Allard before big showdown with Mets
The Phillies announced that they have recalled left-handed pitcher Kolby Allard to start Saturday's game and have optioned reliever Max Lazar back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Prior to tonight's game against the New York Mets, the Phillies recalled LHP Kolby Allard from Lehigh Valley (AAA). To make room for him on the 28-man roster, RHP Max Lazar was optioned to Lehigh Valley following last night's game.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 14, 2024
In four games (three starts) for the Phillies this season, the 27-year-old Allard is 2-0 with a 3.50 ERA. He was optioned back to Triple-A on Aug. 26 — a move the Phillies probably regretted immediately. Pitchers are ineligible to be recalled within 15 days of being optioned, barring an injury on the major league staff, so Allard was stuck in Lehigh Valley while the Phillies suffered through dismal starts from Taijuan Walker and Tyler Phillips.
The veteran Walker has since been relegated to bullpen duty after his last start on Aug. 28, while Phillips was optioned back to Triple-A following his disastrous start in Toronto on Sept. 3.
Lazar first joined the team when the Phillies selected his contract from Lehigh Valley on Aug. 9. He was optioned briefly on Aug. 25 before rejoining the team the following day when he took Allard's spot on the active roster. In 13 2/3 innings out of the bullpen, the right-hander has a 4.61 ERA and 1.10 WHIP while logging nine strikeouts and two walks.
After throwing 6 1/3 scoreless innings to begin his MLB career, Lazar gave up seven runs over the next 7 1/3 innings. He was victimized by the Mets on Friday night, giving up three runs on four hits while striking out just one batter in 2 2/3 innings of work.