Everything is better when a team is clicking on all cylinders. For the Philadelphia Phillies, the last seven games have been exactly that.
The offense has begun to hit more home runs, while the starting rotation has continued to be one of the best units in MLB. Even the bullpen has come together to put up a strong performance after coming out of the gates slowly and being the clear weakness of the roster.
On paper, the bullpen still may not be good enough to stand toe-to-toe with many other teams in the postseason. However, over the last seven games, that same unit has shown that they can step up when put in the right situations.
Over the last seven games, coinciding with the beginning of the three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on the road, the bullpen has pitched 24 2/3 innings with a 1.82 ERA. They have allowed only five earned runs while striking out 27 batters in that stretch. It has seen their ERA as a unit fall below 5.00, and climb to 25th in MLB at 4.70.
The struggles still largely boil down to the way they are used. They enter games far too often with runners on base and in situations where it is nearly impossible to succeed. Over the last week, however, they have been able to overcome that for the most part.
Jose Alvarado has been a big part of that success. After struggling down the stretch in 2024, he has turned things around completely in 2025, and has pitched to a 1.72 ERA so far across 15 2/3 innings in 15 outings. The veteran has collected six saves in as many opportunities, 22 strikeouts, and a lifelong fan who famously mimicked the closer earlier in the week.
Tanner Banks has been another part of the unit's success. He has been called on to eat innings or bridge the gap to the backend of the bullpen on numerous occasions, and continues to be the best deadline acquisition from last year, as well as the only one remaining.
The bullpen playing as well as it has over the last seven games has been a major boon for the Phillies. If the unit can continue this run of success throughout the season, it will go a long way toward propelling this team back into the postseason, potentially with another National League East title in hand.
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