The middle relief part of the Phillies’ bullpen has offered very little relief thus far. Had the team been given a soft underbelly to an otherwise solid roster, it would be those innings where a game needed to be kept close before the big guns could be used to shorten the game. One cannot simply use Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado and Jordan Romano each and every night, so others have to do a job.
Sadly, the trio of Tanner Banks, Jose Ruiz and Joe Ross have had trouble in this regard. Neither has really performed well for the team, even in lower leverage situations, giving the team another issue to worry about to go with their issues hitting with runners in scoring position.