Amid Phillies bullpen turmoil, Don Mattingly thinks Chase Shugart can take on a bigger role: ‘there’s toughness there’

NEW YORK — As the Phillies bullpen continues to search for stability, there are high-leverage opportunities ready for someone on the staff to seize.

With Jonathan Bowlan day to day after a mild right groin strain and Orion Kerkering’s struggles reaching a new level with Juan Soto’s homer on Friday, the Phillies need their other right-handers to step up.

Despite only 14⅔ career major league innings under his belt, rookie Alex McFarlane might now be the top righty on the bullpen depth chart following closer Jhoan Duran, based on his firepower and elite stuff.

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But interim manager Don Mattingly also sees right-hander Chase Shugart as potentially stepping into a higher-leverage role. Over his last seven appearances entering Saturday, Shugart has a 2.08 ERA with a 0.35 WHIP.

“Shug’s already in a bigger spot, honestly,” Mattingly said. “Yeah, I like the way Shug’s been throwing the ball over the last probably four to six weeks. He’s been really good, so he’s definitely put himself in a position that he’s probably getting more leverage, especially with Bo down. … The totem pole just keeps sliding up, keep trying to find out the combination out there.

“Obviously, that’s been a little tricky lately, but trying to find that combination of guys that you feel good about.”

Shugart hasn’t allowed an earned run in 3⅔ innings on this road trip. Mattingly showed faith in Shugart on Sept. 11 in Atlanta, when he called on the right-hander to pitch the bottom of the 10th. Shugart allowed a ghost runner to score on a sacrifice fly but prevented the Braves from walking the Phillies off to give the offense another chance. Atlanta wound up winning in the 11th with Brooks Raley on the mound.

“Shug’s been in that role. … He’ll take the ball. [If he] took it and threw 40, he would walk in the next day and say, “I’m good to go,’ that type of thing,” Mattingly said. “So there’s definitely something to having guys like that on your staff, that you like, because there’s toughness there, and you know that they don’t really scare. And if something goes bad, they’re not going to come up the next day and be all of a sudden different.”

Shugart exemplified that mentality earlier in the season when he pitched — and earned the win in — both games of a doubleheader against the Giants.

He went through a rougher patch in June, when he allowed four homers in six appearances and posted a 10.24 ERA on the month. But he found more consistency after working with Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham on refining his pitch selection. Since then, he’s been throwing fewer sweepers to left-handed batters, instead relying more on his changeup in those situations.

“He’s been solid all year,” Mattingly said. “It’s just really there was, in our minds, there was guys ahead of him at that point. We’ve had injuries, we’ve had some things go on. … Some guys that we kind of counted on for those roles, and now somebody’s going to have to step up, and I think he has the chance.”

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Bowlan will not require a stint on the injured list for his groin strain and did not need to undergo an MRI, Mattingly said.

Jesús Luzardo (shoulder) still has not thrown, but the Phillies are encouraged with how he’s feeling and believe he’s improving.

“I don’t know if there’s anything really new, but the way he’s feeling feels new every day,” Mattingly said. “He looks good, smiling a little bit more, so he’s feeling better. Yeah, we’ll find out here in the next couple days.”

Before Luzardo is ready to start throwing again, Mattingly said that he likely will need to be checked out by a doctor to ensure that he has full range of motion and strength.

The Mets retired Carlos Beltrán’s No. 15 ahead of Saturday’s game. In 2011, Beltrán was traded to the Giants in a one-for-one swap with then-prospect Zack Wheeler. … Cristopher Sánchez (17-6, 2.93 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite Mets right-hander Jonah Tong (2-1, 3.43 ERA).

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Matt Klentak's fingerprints are still on the Phillies' roster six years after he was the team's general manager. These days, Klentak is part of the front office for the Brewers, who recently clinched their fourth consecutive NL Central title. With the Brewers coming to town Tuesday, Klentak joined Phillies Extra to discuss his current and former teams. Watch here. 

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