Phillies Veteran Relief Pitcher Beginning To Find His Rhythm

Mar 13, 2019; Tampa, FL, USA; A general view of Philadelphia Phillies hats laying in the dugout at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Phillies Veteran Relief Pitcher Beginning To Find His Rhythm

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated May 13, 2026 7:00 PM ET

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Over the last few years, the Philadelphia Phillies have worked tirelessly to find the right combination of players in the bullpen to complement the star power that is in the starting rotation.

The relief staff has changed a lot over the last two offseasons, with key fixtures and deadline acquisitions in Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estevez and Matt Strahm all departing in free agency. Acquiring Jhoan Duran ahead of the deadline in 2025 from the Minnesota Twins was a great move to stabilize the backend of the bullpen.

However, building the bridge to him still had some obstacles. There were some struggles early in 2026, but things are starting to fall into place, especially with veteran Jose Alvarado beginning to find his groove.

Alvarado has already allowed 2+ runs in three outings this season, which resulted in him owning a 12.60 ERA through April 12. Phillies fans were assuredly having some flashbacks to the disaster that was Jordan Romano.

Jose Alvarado finding rhythm for Phillies in bullpen

However, since that point, the veteran lefty has started to find his way. Whether it was Rob Thomson or interim manager Don Mattingly, they continued going to him in late-game and high-leverage situations, and he has responded.

Since allowing two runs to the Arizona Diamondbacks and being saddled with his first loss of the season on April 12, Alvarado has been lights out. Across 11 appearances and nine innings pitched, he has a 1.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts.

He has done a wonderful job of navigating some tough spots. There have been a lot of base runners with him in the game, inheriting four while allowing 10 hits and issuing four walks, but he has done a great job remaining composed and getting the job done.

Hip hip... José! pic.twitter.com/moiXEoyQwE
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 13, 2026

Alvarado has recorded three holds during that time, closing the door on opponents attempting to make a comeback late in games. His numbers are finally starting to match his performance, with some underlying metrics suggesting that he was experiencing some bad luck.

His numbers during this most recent stretch could be even better had it not been for a batting average on balls in play of .417, an obscenely high number that is almost virtually unsustainable against him.

On the season, his BABIP is .475, while the MLB average is .294. Some positive regression in that area will certainly have his ERA, which currently sits at 5.14 for the campaign, heading in the right direction to more closely match his FIP, which is a strong 2.55.

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This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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