When Jhoan Duran enters, the Phillies feel like ‘the game’s over.’ And he’s been key to their turnaround.
The Phillies closer has been perfect in 14 save opportunities, which ranks sixth among major league relievers even after Duran missed nearly three weeks with an oblique strain.
The Phillies’ six-run outburst against the Padres on Thursday was an encouraging sign for an offense that has struggled to score many runs over the last few weeks.
But even as they waited for the runs to come, the Phillies still managed to eke out wins and keep their record above .500, largely because of Jhoan Duran.
The Phillies closer has been perfect in 14 save opportunities this season, which ranks sixth among major league relievers, even after Duran missed nearly three weeks with an oblique strain in his left side. Six of those saves have come in the last two weeks, including Tuesday and Wednesday against the Padres.
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The Phillies have leaned heavily on Duran throughout this stretch of close games. Against the Padres, who have a righty-heavy lineup, they also relied on righty Brad Keller, who pitched in the eighth inning on Tuesday and Wednesday and earned two holds.
That meant the Phillies needed other relievers to step up on Thursday against the Padres, after two of their highest-leverage righties in Duran and Keller had pitched two straight games. With a four-run cushion in the eighth, interim manager Don Mattingly went to Orion Kerkering and then José Alvarado for the ninth. Alvarado surrendered a two-run homer but bounced back to seal the win.
From a management point of view, having a closer makes Mattingly’s life easier, as the ninth inning usually is spoken for. Before the Phillies acquired Duran from the Twins at the trade deadline last year, there was no clear closer, and relievers would be deployed based on matchups.
“There’s been times I’ve had to have teams where that ninth inning is by committee. It never seems to go that well,” Mattingly said. “I like having a number of guys that you could do it with, but it’s nice to have that guy that you feel like the game’s over.”
Mattingly said the best closer he’d managed at any of his previous stops was Kenley Jansen on the Dodgers, and he gets a similar feeling now when Duran enters the game.
“What’s similar for me is I feel like the game’s over,” Mattingly said. “… You kind of get to him and you feel like you’re done managing, in a sense that you got where you wanted to go, you got a lead, you got your guy in the game, and you feel good about it. And so that’s a good feeling, when you have a guy like Jho, that you kind of manage the game to get to the ninth.”
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But a key difference between Duran and Jansen — and many other closers, in fact — is their repertoire. Throughout his career, Jansen has mostly relied on his cutter. He will mix in secondary offerings, but the cutter has been his primary weapon en route to 483 career saves.
Duran, though, has five pitches that he throws with confidence, including a split-change that he incorporated this season. Relievers typically have pared-down arsenals, but in an era where hitters continue to improve — especially against high velocity — more tools are becoming necessary.
“He’s got all those weapons, and the movement goes a lot of different ways, so it makes it hard on a hitter,” Mattingly said. “I think you still see, he’s throwing 100, 101 [mph] at times, guys hit that now. So you just can’t sit there and go, ‘I’m just gonna go throw 100 and throw it by everybody and we’re going to win.’
“I think you have to have other weapons at least to make guys think and give them other things to deal with.”
Extra bases
Single-A Clearwater outfielder Griffin Burkholder was named Phillies minor league hitter of the month for May. Burkholder hit .352 with a 1.046 OPS in 18 games in May. Clearwater right-hander Ramon Marquez and double-A Reading righty Alex McFarlane shared minor league pitcher of the month honors. Marquez posted a 1.45 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in four appearances, including three starts. McFarlane did not allow an earned run in 10 relief appearances and posted three saves. … Jesús Luzardo (4-4, 4.30 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s series opener against Chicago White Sox lefty Anthony Kay (5-1, 3.77).
The Phillies are desperate for right-handed hitting. Mike Trout bats right-handed. But Trout also has full no-trade rights and has never asked the Angels to move him. Joe Maddon, Trout's manager for three years, joins "Phillies Extra" to answer the most important question: Why? And will this be the year that Trout asks out? Maddon also shares his thoughts on the Phillies' managerial change, Kyle Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, and more. Watch here.
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