Phillies Star Records Career First To Open Marlins Series Amid Role Change

The Philadelphia Phillies won again on Monday.

Coming off their weekend sweep over the Toronto Blue Jays, some wondered if the Phillies would be able to keep things going in South Florida during a four-game set against the Miami Marlins when the massive New York Mets series is looming next.

But Philadelphia rode another strong start by rookie Mick Abel and got some clutch hitting by the lineup to win their fifth game in a row.

One of the most underrated part of Monday's contest was how the bullpen looked.

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That unit has been heavily scrutinized throughout the season, and when Rob Thomson pulled Abel after five innings and turned things over to the relievers, it wouldn't have been hard to blame Phillies fans for getting nervous despite facing the Marlins.

However, the bullpen was spectacular.

Taijuan Walker didn't allow a hit and struck out one in the sixth. Jordan Romano came on in the seventh and fanned two batters without allowing a hit. Matt Strahm ran into some trouble during the following frame when he gave up hits to the first two batters of the inning, but he got out of if it with just one run scored.

Then in the ninth inning, Orion Kerkering was called on for the save.

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The star right-hander looked tremendous, blowing his fastball past Miami hitters to pick up his first career Major League save with a one-two-three inning where he struck out a batter and shut things down on 12 pitches.

"It just feels great," Kerkering said, per Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Just to be able to continue the stretch I'm on right now, between the beginning of May, and just kind of keep it rolling and not overthink the situation. I think that's what's most important."

The stretch he's been on is no joke

After struggling through April with a 6.52 ERA in 11 outings, he has a 0.53 ERA in 19 outings since May 1, the 11th-best mark in the MLB during that span.

It's also caused Thomson to evaluate some things in his bullpen.

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While it seems like he'll never quite go with a true closer, Kerkering appears like he'll be the primary guy coming on in the ninth inning to record a save.

The 24-year-old was always seen in that line when he was flying up the minor league ranks, but prior to Monday, he had been 0-for-6.

Now that the first one is under his belt, many more should be on the way for the young star.

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