Evan Phillips hasn’t exactly lost his job as the closer of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he doesn’t really own the title, either.
On Monday, following another pour outing by Philips on Sunday night, manager Dave Roberts declined to name him the closer of the Dodgers.
“To be quite honest, I’m going to pitch him in leverage, but I don’t know what that looks like,” Roberts said. “Can I see him still finishing games with the right lanes? Absolutely. But is there a chance I pitch him in the seventh inning in leverage? Sure.”
Phillips has emerged as the Dodgers’ closer over the last few seasons due to his innate ability to pitch in any situation, but especially high-leverage ones.