Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson defended his closer Jhoan Duran after he blew his first save as a Phillie on Friday, Aug. 22 in a 5-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. Thomson made a bold comparison to Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera, saying “Mariano [Rivera] had 80 of them, so it’s going to happen every once in a while.”
Since being traded from the Minnesota Twins to the Phillies, Duran has appeared in eight games and has posted a stellar ERA of 1.35 with eight strikeouts and no walks. His strong previous outings gave Thomson all the confidence in the world to back him even after a tough outing.
Duran was acquired at the trade deadline to sure up a bullpen that was elite on paper but had faced some inconsistency this season, and had done that perfectly up until his eighth appearance which was the blown save to the Nationals.
Duran Having a Superb Season
As good as Duran was with Minnesota, he has found a way to elevate his game even more now that he is with a World Series contender in Philadelphia. Duran had appeared in seven games for the Phillies before Friday night and picked up six saves without allowing a run. He still hasn’t walked a single batter as a Phillie.
Now that he is with a contending team after leaving Minnesota, Duran has more opportunities to come into save opportunities. In his 6.2 innings pitched with Philadelphia, Duran already has seven save opportunities, while in 49.1 innings pitched he had just 18 opportunities.
Unlike some other relievers, Duran thrives in high-leverage situations while his team is good, something he didn’t have in Minnesota this season. He should be able to reach his potential in the final month of the season and be a real problem for other teams in the playoffs.
Phillies Starting to Hit Stride at the Right Time
Despite the loss to Washington on Friday, the Phillies are playing their best baseball of the season in the month of August, boasting a record of 13-7. After a fast start to the season through May, Philadelphia was just 25-25 between June and July. Along with the addition of Duran to the back-end of their bullpen, Kyle Schwarber, Bryson Stott and Trea Turner have rounded into tip-top shape in the latter month of the summer. Schwarber has eight home runs and 23 RBI in just 20 games this month, and has a .936 OPS.
Turner and Stott have averages of .356 and .365 respectively and have been spark-plugs in the lineup.
After long playoff runs the last few years, the Phillies have done enough to have a 74-54 record, pretty much guaranteeing a playoff spot barring an unforeseen collapse in September. They’ll be able to use the expanded roster in September to give their star players and starting pitchers a little bit of a rest so they’re fully charged up for what they’re hoping will be another long playoff run.
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