The Philadelphia Phillies escaped the month of June going 14-13, keeping their head above water and avoiding their first losing month of the 2025 season. A lot of trial took place over the past month that included Bryce Harper hitting the injured list, failing to score runs, or the same bullpen that has continued to leak oil all year long.
It hasn't been all bad from the bullpen, and the team has Orion Kerkering to thank for that. The team had some obvious flaws exploited through their bad stretch and outside of Kerkering, the bullpen had little answers or even a rhythm to get themselves into.
Orion Kerkering has been carrying the Phillies' bullpen and posted an incredible June
Kerkering was absolutely nails for the Phillies in June, posting a 0.82 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 11 innings pitched. The next closest in June was Alan Rangel, with a 2.25 ERA. Then there was the worst of the worst in the last month with Taijuan Walker (5.40 ERA), Jordan Romano (7.27 ERA) and Joe Ross (7.88 ERA). On the year, Kerkering holds a 5-3 record, 2.41 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 34 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings pitched.
Phillies fans were hoping for a breakout year from Kerkering coming into 2025. Some offseason departures gave him a prime opportunity to step up and be one of the more trusted arms for the Phillies. It didn't start out great, as he carried a 5.56 ERA through April. Since May 1, he's turned it around and has been the eighth-best reliever by ERA in the sport, posting a 0.81 ERA over 22 1/3 innings.
Kerkering may be becoming the closer type the Phillies need for the remainder of the 2025 season. He finally got his first career save out of the way on June 16 against the Marlins, per MLB.com's Paul Casella, which should give him confidence to do it again if needed. Although, the Phillies have unconventionally gotten away from the everyday closer even when José Alvarado was available to do so. Phillies manager Rob Thomson has always acted more towards matchups to get big outs.
Kerkering is what Phillies fans hope for when they get a homegrown reliever. He throws a 97.4 mph fastball, 96.2 mph sinker and an 86.6 mph slider with elite movement while still getting weak contact (subscription required), per Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic. Among relievers, he holds the third-lowest exit velocity in baseball, with an average of 84.6 mph. Maybe June is a sign of things to come. The fan base and the Phillies could both use some more of what Kerkering has given so far.