Phillies call up reliever Alex McFarlane from double A
The hard-throwing 24-year-old right-hander will give them an eighth reliever for the series opener in Atlanta after they released Taijuan Walker and played shorthanded Thursday in Chicago.
ATLANTA — Next up in the Phillies’ banged-up bullpen: Alex McFarlane.
McFarlane is being called up from double-A Reading, the Phillies announced Friday. The hard-throwing 24-year-old right-hander will give them an eighth reliever for the series opener in Atlanta after they released Taijuan Walker and played short-handed Thursday in Chicago.
In seven appearances for Reading, McFarlane has allowed one earned run on four hits and four walks in 6⅓ innings. He has a 1.42 ERA and 10 strikeouts.
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The Phillies have lost nine games in a row, their longest skid since the 99-loss 2015 season, and are tied for the worst record in the majors (8-17). Among their myriad problems is an injury-ravaged bullpen.
Star closer Jhoan Duran is sidelined by a strained oblique muscle in his left side. Jonathan Bowlan (groin) and Zach Pop (calf) are also out. The Phillies considered moving Walker to the bullpen but instead released the veteran righty, swallowing his 9.13 ERA and the $15.3 million left on his contract.
If McFarlane faces the Braves, he will be the fourth Phillies player to make a major league debut this season, joining center fielder Justin Crawford, right-hander Andrew Painter, and outfielder Felix Reyes.
In Trea Turner and Justin Crawford, the Phillies have two of baseball's fastest players at the top and bottom of their batting order. It's a baserunning coach's dream. Paco Figueroa sat down with "Phillies Extra" to discuss his philosophy on baserunning and how the Phillies might be able to leverage the elite speed of Turner and Crawford to boost an offense that has struggled to score runs early in the season. Watch here.
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