Get bullpen help.
For weeks, those three words have been etched in ink atop the Phillies’ to-do list ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. But after Vince Velasquez allowed six earned runs while recording just seven outs against the Braves on Saturday night, patching a suddenly hemorrhaging starting rotation may be the Phillies’ most pressing need in the coming days.
Much like Matt Moore did in the series opener, Velasquez buried the Phillies in a huge early-inning hole. Unlike Moore, he could not even muster a mild rebound to spare the bullpen an extended evening of work en route to a dreadful 15-3 loss.