Jonathan Bowlan has thrived as the Phillies’ setup reliever. The job could be his to keep.
The Phillies have struggled with carrying a lead from the starter to closer Jhoan Duran. But Bowlan, a lower-profile addition in December, has been effective in late innings.
All along, the Phillies figured they acquired their eighth-inning reliever in the offseason.
Maybe they really did.
It was supposed to be free agent Brad Keller. But after signing a two-year, $22 million contract, he had Tommy John elbow surgery on July 29 and will miss the rest of this season and most of next year.
Jonathan Bowlan, a lower-profile addition in December from the Kansas City Royals for lefty Matt Strahm, stepped into Keller’s role and has thrived. And after the Phillies didn’t land a setup reliever at the trade deadline, it might be Bowlan’s job to keep.
“I guess I don’t really look at it as that,” Bowlan said Sunday. “I mean, I’m a simple-minded person, pitcher, whatever you want to call it. I’m just trying to do my job to the best of my ability, no matter what the situation. That’s just kind of my mindset.”
Bowlan, a 29-year-old righty, has been effective with that uncomplicated approach — and a few tweaks to his repertoire since joining the Phillies.
After the trade, Bowlan got a call from pitching coach Caleb Cotham, who had two suggestions: throw more changeups, especially to left-handed hitters, and pick up a sweeper, the slider variant adopted by so many of Cotham’s Phillies pupils, notably Jesús Luzardo.
Bowlan said he began experimenting with the sweeper two weeks before spring training and was “a quick learner when it came to that pitch.” It has replaced his curveball as his primary offspeed pitch to right-handed hitters.
But Bowlan needed help with lefties, who batted .288 and slugged .575 against him last season. Cotham didn’t alter his grip on the changeup. He just wanted him to throw it more often.
“The shapes have always been there for the changeup,” Bowlan said. “It’s just the consistency of throwing that’s been the biggest thing.”
He’s throwing his changeup nearly twice as often, which makes his fastball appear harder. But his heater has picked up actual speed, too, by almost 2 miles per hour. Last year, Bowlan’s fastball averaged 95.5 mph; this year, it’s up to a 97.2 mph.
Bowlan believes the changeup and sweeper have had an effect.
“Yes, for sure, that makes it play up a little more,” he said. “I would say 100%. Without having those other pitches, I mean, I can throw them to lefties or righties, both of them, and so that’s in the back of their mind as well. The ride [on the fastball] has always been there, so it probably helps even more since I have added that sweeper.”
Add it up, and Bowlan has a 2.81 ERA, 52 strikeouts, and only 10 walks in 41⅔ innings over 44 appearances. Eight of his last 15 have come in the eighth inning.
The late innings have been problematic for the Phillies in the postseason. They have star closer Jhoan Duran now, which surely helps. But carrying a lead from the starter to Duran was a problem for Strahm, David Robertson, and Orion Kerkering last season against the Dodgers. Jeff Hoffman struggled previously in 2024 and Craig Kimbrel in 2023.
“It’s nice to be in those situations,” said Bowlan, who has a 1.48 ERA in 27 appearances since the beginning of June. “I love those situations. The energy is different, especially here in Philly with these fans and all the support.
“And that’s just something that, maybe one day I will be that full-on leverage guy. But as of right now, I’m more of just, go out and attack these hitters and execute pitches, and if it falls into that leverage situation, then sure. But I do not look at it as like a leverage situation because I feel like that could complicate things or maybe speed things up for a little bit and make it a lot harder than it needs to be.”
But there is one new wrinkle to Bowlan’s view of his job when it comes in the eighth inning.
“You have that mindset of, I need to get the ball to Duran, whatever it takes,” Bowlan said. “That might be the minor switch in mindset. But that’s it. Nothing else. It’s not like, ‘Oh no, I don’t want to screw this up,’ you know? I’ve been through that. I’ve done that in the past. I’m over that. That’s not the mindset to have in those situations.”
Eighth wonder
Alec Bohm batted eighth for the first time since May 12 when he was in the midst of a deep early-season slump. This time, though, interim manager Don Mattingly said it had more to do with creating a better late-game matchup against the Jays.
“The biggest thing was splitting him and J.T. [Realmuto] a little further apart just to kind of mix the righties up,” said Mattingly, who elevated Realmuto to the No. 5 spot. “This just spreads it out a little bit. And J.T., for me, has been swinging the bat a little better.”
Bohm, who entered Sunday batting .224 with a .641 OPS, the worst totals of his career, had two hits, including an RBI single in the sixth inning.
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Extra bases
Aaron Nola is on track to start Thursday night against the Minnesota Twins in the Field of Dreams Game in Iowa. Nola bruised his right knee on a comebacker to the mound in the sixth inning Saturday night. ... At the end of a taxing week for the bullpen, the Phillies recalled righty Alan Rangel from triple A and optioned righty Chase Shugart, who threw 39 pitches Saturday night. ... In recognition of their strikeout milestones Saturday night, Max Scherzer (now fourth all-time) and Nola (2,000 career) were invited to take photos with Steve Carlton (fourth all-time) as part of the pregame Alumni Weekend festivities. ... After exiting his last start after four innings with a tight left hamstring, Andrew Painter (1-8, 6.48 ERA) is scheduled to start Monday night in St. Louis against Cardinals righty Hunter Dobbins (2-2, 3.60).
In trading for Luis Arraez at the deadline, the Phillies displaced three-fourths of their infield but left Trea Turner at shortstop. To help make sense of it all, pennant-winning former shortstop and current radio broadcaster Kevin Stocker joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer's baseball podcast. Watch here.
You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Previous episodes: Bobby Dickerson | Jim Bowden | John Middleton | Ryan Howard | Dan Baker | Ricky Bottalico | Preston Mattingly | Caleb Cotham | Larry Bowa | Joe Maddon
