Despite some of the recent bullpen struggles, there are only a couple of bullpen spots the Philadelphia Phillies can really do anything about, assuming the top six arms are locked in. After an embarrassing implosion in Saturday night's 11-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, one of the remaining relievers is on the hot seat. Or, at least, he should be.
With the Phillies clinging to a slim sliver of hope of a possible comeback trailing the Diamondbacks 4-1 in the seventh inning, manager Rob Thomson turned to right-hander Yunior Marte out of the bullpen. It was a questionable move to begin with if the Phillies thought that they had a chance to get back in the game. Marte hasn't exactly been Mr. Reliable.
Yunior Marte's embarrassing implosion should be the final straw for Phillies
As it turns out, and as has been a familiar sight recently, Marte did the opposite of what his team needed. Only this time, it was his biggest flop by far.
Instead of keeping the Phillies' lackluster offense within striking distance, Marte took the mound and promptly face-planted — figuratively. The Diamondbacks bats lit up the reliever for seven runs on six hits. The disastrous outing started with a non-competitive four-pitch walk to Arizona second baseman Kevin Newman to lead off the inning. Things got out of hand with a pair of home runs — a two-run blast by Jake McCarthy and a three-run homer by Corbin Carroll.
By the time Thomson finally emerged from the dugout to put Marte, and any Phillies fans who were still left watching at that point, out of their misery, the D'backs lead had ballooned to 11-1. And there were still just two out in the inning.
As it just so happens, Marte’s replacement on Saturday might wind up being his replacement in the bullpen when the team makes the next round of roster moves. Max Lazar came on for his MLB debut and ended the inning with two pitches, inducing a flyout off the bat of Newman in his second at-bat of the inning.
Lazar, who was added to the roster when Kolby Allard was optioned to Triple-A after his last start, pitched a clean eighth inning. He also recorded his first MLB strikeout, getting veteran slugger Joc Pederson with a high cutter.
Max Lazar picks up his first big league strikeout in his MLB debut for the @Phillies! pic.twitter.com/FOXzKRx4Z4
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 11, 2024
Regardless of Lazar’s strong debut, the Phillies simply can’t continue running Marte out there. Since returning to the team on July 21, what little success the 29-year-old has had has been overshadowed by some absolutely horrific outings.
In 7 2/3 innings, he has given up 13 earned runs on 16 hits — that’s a 15.26 ERA. He has struck out eight but also walked eight, leading to a 3.13 WHIP. Saturday’s debacle has to be the final straw. If the Phillies plan to get out of the funk they’re in, Marte can’t be an option down the stretch.
There's no telling how the 25-year-old Lazar will fare in the majors with an extended look. It can't be any worse than what Marte has provided, can it?
Acquired as a free agent in the offseason, Lazar posted a 2.40 ERA with a 28.5 percent strikeout rate and a 7.3 percent walk rate in 30 innings of relief with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The Phillies need to see if he can replicate that in the majors.
It's time to send Marte down when Taijuan Walker returns from the IL on Tuesday and give Lazar a shot.