Alex McFarlane relishes ‘amazing opportunity’ for greater responsibility in Phillies’ bullpen as Orion Kerkering struggles

Alex McFarlane announced his arrival in the majors on July 22 by getting Shohei Ohtani to fly out on a 100-mph fastball.

It has only gotten better since then.

Somehow.

McFarlane is the Next Big Thing in the Phillies’ bullpen, with a 0.79 ERA in 11 appearances and an ascending role in interim manager Don Mattingly’s late-inning pecking order.

“You can’t really let it get in your head,” McFarlane said Saturday. “Everybody in that bullpen is capable of doing every opportunity that they ask. If your name is called, your name is called for that situation. You know?”

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Sure, but McFarlane can expect Mattingly and pitching coach Caleb Cotham to call his name more often in close games down the stretch.

Drafted one round before Orion Kerkering in 2022 but waylaid by injuries and a role change in the minors, McFarland is rising in the bullpen’s circle of trust as struggling Kerkering slips.

The contrast was evident Friday night. McFarlane took over a 3-2 deficit from starter Cristopher Sánchez and got three outs on eight pitches in the seventh inning. In the eighth, Kerkering gave up a two-run homer to the Braves’ Mauricio Dubón to hike his ERA to 8.44 since July 22.

A day later, Mattingly said the quiet part out loud.

“I think you get to a point where you have to pick up on what you see and maybe change that role a little bit,” he said. “You still know that [Kerkering]’s going to have to get big outs at different times of the game. But I think it’s fair to say that you have to pay attention to what’s going on.”

On the flip side, McFarlane has impressed with electric stuff, notably a triple-digit heater. He throws two fastballs (a four-seamer to righties and a sinker to lefties) and two sliders (a traditional version to lefties and a sweeper to righties).

But he also has demonstrated poise. Among his strikeout victims: Byron Buxton, Randy Arozarena, Mike Trout, and earlier this week, Nolan Arenado in a big spot in Arizona.

“It’s just building confidence from [facing] those guys,” McFarlane said. “Whatever happens, happens. But just being there, facing those guys is an achievement in and of itself. You work hard all season to get up to The Show and just be able to test your skills against the best. No matter the results, it’s a great experience.

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“You have all the respect in the world for those guys. But when you’re out there pitching, they’re just another guy in the box. That’s the mindset I take with it. Then after the game, I would reflect and be like, ‘I really faced those guys.’ It’s an amazing opportunity. It’s an amazing experience.”

McFarlane’s biggest challenge has always been throwing strikes. He walked the leadoff batter in three of his first four appearances and sidestepped trouble. But he has walked only two batters in his last seven appearances.

Additionally, Mattingly noted that McFarlane has gotten better about holding runners by being quicker to the plate.

“Leadoff walks are going to be a thing that, as a reliever, you’ve got to stay on top of throughout your whole career in order to be successful,” McFarlane said. “It’s something that I’m just going to continue to hammer my whole career. You know leadoff walks are going to happen in your career. It’s how you respond.”

McFarlane has responded well enough that Mattingly wants to see more.

“I think everything has been good here,” Mattingly said. “There’s nothing really that’s been bad. The way he’s handled himself ... he’s just had a good disposition about him. There’s been a lot of things that he does well.”

Wearing a hospital wristband, Bryson Stott rejoined the Phillies and returned to the lineup after announcing on Instagram that his wife, Dru, gave birth to their third child, a daughter.

Stott was scratched an hour before Friday night’s game due to what the Phillies called “a personal matter.”

Just in case Stott was unable to make it back in time, the Phillies summoned infielder Otto Kemp from triple A. Kemp took batting practice before rejoining Lehigh Valley for its series at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Stott, who batted eighth and played third base against Braves lefty Martin Perez, was batting .284 with a .374 on-base percentage and .802 OPS in his last 75 games.

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