Latest news with #MattStrahm
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phillies' Matt Strahm Claps Back at Fan on Social Media, 'Let Me do My Job'
Phillies' Matt Strahm Claps Back at Fan on Social Media, 'Let Me do My Job' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With the Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen in a precarious state, as players underperform and Jose Alvarado is suspended, any hiccup is heightened. After the Phillies' latest game against the Miami Marlins, Matt Strahm had his issues on the mound, but got out of it and secured the win. Advertisement After the game, Strahm took to Twitter/X and commented on a post from Phillies broadcaster Tom McCarthy. In a response to Strahm's post, a fan of the team called for Strahm to "get his priorities straight" due to Strahm's recent struggles on the mound. Three minutes later, Strahm clapped back at the fan. "Like tom said." Strahm wrote, "🤫 and let me do my job. Feel free to clap your hands together the other times I pitch, too 🤙🏻" Strahm told the fan to be quiet and let him do his job. He also clapped back, saying that the fan should still clap his hands and cheer whenever Strahm pitches well. His response isn't the first time Strahm has called out fans on Twitter/X over their complaints about him or his teammates. He previously defended Orion Kerkering early in the season, and now Kerkering is the team's best reliever. Advertisement This time, he's defending himself. There's a good reason he has to defend himself, though. His recent outings have been a little shaky. In three of his last four outings, Strahm has allowed one earned run. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm (25) throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Hartline-Imagn Images Fortunately for the Phillies, none of those outings cost the team the game, and they won each one. Against the Chicago Cubs, Strahm allowed one run on one hit in the eighth inning in a 3-2 victory. He also allowed a run on two hits against the Marlins earlier in the week, but the Phillies still won 5-2. But his most recent one nearly ended in disaster. He allowed one run on three hits. With the winning run at the plate, Strahm allowed a long fly ball, which was caught against the wall by Nick Castellanos. Advertisement It was the third outing in his last four where he almost blew it for the Phillies. But he held strong and helped secure a win for the team, and afterwards, he clapped back at a fan calling him out for his recent struggles. Strahm has a 3.86 ERA and won't make the All-Star team like he did a year ago. But he's still one of the best relievers on the team, and with the issues in the bullpen, his role going forward is going to be a massive one. Related: Phillies' Nick Castellanos Sends Six-Word Message After Rob Thomson Benching Related: Phillies Announce Trade With Rangers for Right-Handed Pitcher This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Phillies' Matt Strahm Says Orion Kerkering's First Career Save is '1st of Many!'
Phillies' Matt Strahm Says Orion Kerkering's First Career Save is '1st of Many!' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Philadelphia Phillies typically use various relievers in a closing role since Rob Thomson took over in 2022. With the team having a few issues in the bullpen in 2025, the team has been looking for a new closer. Advertisement Jordan Romano has been iffy all year, and Jose Alvarado is suspended for 80 games. Instead, the Phillies might have found their new closer in an internal option. After Orion Kerkering notched his first career save against the Miami Marlins, his fellow reliever, Matt Strahm, responded to the video of his save with a three-word message. Strahm said on Twitter/X, "1st of many!" Kerkering getting his first save in his third season with the team is surprising. Considering how well he pitched in 2024 and his strong 2025 season since May began, Kerkering getting his first save against the Marlins was a surprise. Advertisement It was a clean outing, getting two groundouts and a strikeout. For Strahm, he's always come to bat for Kerkering whenever he gets the chance. Earlier in the year, he called out people on Twitter/X for their negative comments amid Kerkerings' 6.53 ERA start to the year. Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Matt Strahm (25) reacts with starting pitcher Ranger Suarez (55) after the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Ross-Imagn Images This time, however, it's a positive message he's sending, and one that's hopeful of Kerkering getting more chances to close games for the Phillies in the future. With how he's pitched since May first, it's not a surprise that Strahm believes this save is the first of many. Since May first, Kerkering has a 0.53 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched. The only thing holding Kerkering back from securing his spot as the closer is his struggles with command, as he's walked 10 batters and hit one since May 1st. Advertisement But, with his recent performances in mind, and Thomson alluding to the potential for Kerkering to get more closing opportunities, Strahm may be right. This save from Kerkering might be the first of many. Related: Phillies' Rob Thomson Alludes to Bullpen Decision After Marlins Game Related: Phillies Get Bad News on Kyle Schwarber Extension This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Phillies takeaways: Matt Strahm's hiccup, a potential lineup shuffle, Aaron Nola's delayed return
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The second pitch Matt Strahm threw Sunday afternoon registered 94.3 mph, the hardest he's thrown a fastball all season, and it did not matter much. He yanked it for ball one to Logan Davidson in the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss to the Athletics. His next three pitches were balls. Davidson scored when a lefty, Lawrence Butler, smacked a triple to right. Strahm floated a cutter to Willie MacIver, a catcher making his big-league debut, and that run-scoring single was the game. Advertisement It all started with the walk. 'Way too many this year,' Strahm said. 'I feel like they all score.' Only three of Strahm's six walks have scored, but the veteran lefty won't like that either. He has a 3.32 ERA in 21 2/3 innings; the hard contact he had allowed during the road trip hadn't burned him until Sunday. As May becomes June, Strahm's importance to the whole thing has elevated. José Alvarado is suspended, leaving Strahm as one of manager Rob Thomson's few trusted setup men. It means the pockets might not be as clean for Strahm; he'll face more righties just because the Phillies need someone for the later innings. The Phillies liked the matchups, especially Strahm on Butler, in Sunday's eighth inning. Strahm could not protect the lead. A nine-game winning streak fizzled. 'That's what we wanted,' Thomson said. 'That's the way it is.' Couple more in the 8th 😮💨 — Athletics (@Athletics) May 25, 2025 If anything, the Phillies have seen signs that Strahm's stuff is ticking upward, which can only help. His fastballs Sunday sat at 93 mph, more than 1 mph harder than his season average. The walk, only his second this month, bothered him. 'Strike one, I think that's the biggest thing,' Strahm said. 'Usually, if I can get strike one, I can get them to expand. Just attacking strike one and being more aggressive in the middle of the plate, I guess, but still going to the corners or underneath.' It's easier to be aggressive in the middle if he's throwing harder. 'I mean, I get swing-and-misses when my fastball's 89,' Strahm said, 'so I'm not too worried about velocity.' Strahm ranks low on the list of current concerns. The Phillies were happy to see Orion Kerkering regain some confidence during the trip. Tanner Banks, the second lefty behind Strahm, looks sharp. Advertisement The whole weekend at Sutter Health Park was difficult to evaluate; some pitchers had legitimate trouble with the mound. Cristopher Sánchez was one. So was Jordan Romano. The Phillies won't be back here until 2027. The Phillies had a glorious chance in the second inning Sunday when Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler drew three consecutive walks to load the bases with nobody out. But J.T. Realmuto, batting seventh, hit into his team-leading 10th double play of the season. That's tied for second-most in all of baseball. Realmuto's previous high in double plays is 13, done in 2017 with the Miami Marlins. He's averaged eight per season since joining the Phillies in 2019. He hasn't had his proper timing at the plate for much of the season. Teams have attacked Realmuto with spin; he entered Sunday batting .135 with a .311 slugging percentage against non-fastballs. He's hit fastballs from righties, and that's about it. Realmuto is batting an unfathomable .098/.148/.137 in 54 plate appearances against lefties. It might be time to move him down the batting order. Flipping Realmuto with Alec Bohm, who has emerged from his early-season slump, would make sense. 'I've thought about a lot of things,' Thomson said. Is it something Thomson could consider this week? 'I don't know,' Thomson said. 'I'll think about it.' There is a matter of respect. Realmuto has batted eighth in exactly one game since 2017. That was May 21, 2022, as Joe Girardi searched for a feasible lineup combination soon before the Phillies fired him as manager. In the lineups against lefties, Thomson has batted Realmuto fifth. At the very least, that is something that could change moving forward. Bohm has had multi-hit games in 11 of his last 18. He went 11-for-31 (.355) on the road trip with four extra-base hits. Thomson has been inclined to leave Bohm where he is in the order; that wouldn't disrupt his momentum. Bohm has not batted higher than sixth since April 9. He might have earned a bump. Two days ago, Aaron Nola tested his sprained right ankle for the first time since going on the injured list May 16. He ran some. He still felt some soreness. 'Just a little bit,' Nola said. It's becoming clear that Nola's ankle was worse than he expected; the veteran righty thought he could pitch through the injury, and the Phillies were willing to let him. Until they weren't. Advertisement The club had hoped Nola would throw a bullpen session during the road trip. That did not happen. Nola played catch and did some more exercises on Sunday morning. He'll receive some treatment on Monday after the cross-country flight home. He could throw that bullpen on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. But it could be a few more days. Nola is eligible to be activated on Friday. That will not happen. Now, the question is whether Nola can return to the rotation without a minor-league rehab start. 'I hope so,' Nola said. 'I mean, that's the best-case scenario. But I just honestly need to see how it feels on the mound first. Since I am on the IL, I want to get it right. I want it to feel good and strong again. I want to be able to run and sprint without it even having to be an issue.' The longer Nola waits to throw his first bullpen session, the higher the odds are that he'll have to see hitters in the minors. Maybe that's not the worst outcome; Nola wasn't always himself even before the ankle injury. In the meantime, the Phillies will tweak their rotation with Monday's off day. Ranger Suárez, Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez will start in the three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. Taijuan Walker will bump to Friday's opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. That means eight days between starts for Walker, who threw a 60-pitch bullpen at Sutter Health Park to compensate. Jesús Luzardo will have an extra day of rest before his next outing; he has thrown 100-plus pitches in four straight starts for the first time in his career. The Phillies prefer to have their lefties against Atlanta, Thomson said, so that prompted the slight adjustment. Atlanta's .650 OPS against lefties ranks 17th in baseball. That's 80 points lower than their production against righties. Now, of course, Ronald Acuña Jr. is back to terrorize pitchers no matter the handedness. He is a career .315/.394/.550 hitter when facing the Phillies. They haven't seen him in 14 months. (Top photo of Matt Strahm pitching in the ninth inning against the A's: D. Ross Cameron / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s solo homer (7)
Phillies struggle with RISP, hand Cardinals 9th straight win after late homer Cristopher Sánchez only allowed two earned runs over six strong innings, but a home run let up by Matt Strahm in the seventh put the Phillies in a 3-2 hole, and that one-run deficit was too much to struggle with RISP, hand Cardinals 9th straight win after late homer originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia 2:49 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Realigned Phillies bullpen finds its footing in 5 days following José Alvarado suspension
DENVER — Now the longest-tenured man in the Phillies bullpen, Matt Strahm did not have a speech to make. There wasn't much to utter in the wake of José Alvarado's 80-game suspension that both weakened the bullpen and elevated it to the unit that will face the highest scrutiny as spring becomes summer. Advertisement There is so much baseball left; all anyone can be certain of is that the Phillies' bullpen mix will likely not be the same come July or October. But this is who they have right now. It has to work. 'That's kind of always been the mindset of this bullpen since I've been in it,' Strahm said. 'You look back to the '23 bullpen. I mean, we had seven closers down there. So a lot of the conversation was: Quit worrying about when you're throwing, or how you're throwing. And just throw. So, now, it just kind of shifted to: It is what it is. We got what we got. We're good enough to do the job.' If anything, five days of solid bullpen work since the Alvarado suspension were timely. Things feel a little more settled. No one will read too much into five days because greater tests than the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies will challenge this depleted bullpen. But it was some validation for a group that needs confidence as the quality of their relievers is questioned. Phillies relievers have a 2.93 ERA with 15 strikeouts and two walks in 15 1/3 innings since they lost Alvarado. They have not surrendered a homer. The bullpen rose to the task Thursday in a 2-0 win when the Phillies could not bludgeon this historically bad Rockies team. Orion Kerkering recorded the biggest out of the game when he inherited runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh inning of a two-run game. He threw one pitch: a slider in on the hands to Colorado's best hitter, Hunter Goodman. Bryce Harper caught it over the dugout railing. Excuse me, can I just reach over here real quick, gotta grab something — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 22, 2025 Matt Strahm pitched around a single and a steal with the help of a fine running catch in center field by Brandon Marsh to end the eighth. Jordan Romano struck out two in a 10-pitch ninth. The Phillies used all eight of their relievers during the four-game sweep. Most of the chances were lower-leverage situations, against a team that's now 8-42. There was not much drama at a ballpark known for terrorizing bullpens. Advertisement All of the caveats apply, and that is fine. The soft schedule represented a chance for the Phillies to realign their bullpen. Romano, Strahm and Kerkering have not been needed as much. The others have thrown strikes. 'This is what we've got right now,' lefty Tanner Banks said. 'Kind of almost a nudge of, like, 'It's time to go lock it in.' You can either rise to the occasion or fall to the shortcoming. You know?' This is a dynamic that was best left unsaid out in the bullpen. 'We all expect the next guy up to go out and do their job,' Banks said. 'When we're hitting the ball around the yard, it makes it easier. Every guy out there in the dugout and in the bullpen knows the next guy's got their back. It is unsaid, but it's expected. Excellence is expected, especially, in a city like Philadelphia. You have to want it. You have to work for it. It's not going to come easy, regardless of who you're playing. But it's expected, top to bottom in the clubhouse. Everywhere we go. And, especially, in our home city.' The whole formula will be easier if the Phillies start from the end. So no development over the past three weeks might be as significant as Romano's return to dominance. He has not allowed a run in nine straight outings. He has faced 30 batters in that time. Only four have reached base. He's struck out 13 of them. He has ripped through opposing hitters for the past three weeks. 'Romano was fantastic,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said after the righty's latest scoreless appearance. 'You're not accidentally a two-time All Star as a closer and third all time in a franchise's history in saves,' Strahm said. 'That's not an accident. I mean, yeah. Rough start to the year. That's baseball. His little hiccup in the beginning of the year, we joke about it. You couldn't do it again if you tried.' No one is pretending the Phillies have everything they need in the bullpen. They will make fortifications come July. They could dip into their rotation surplus at some point to help the bullpen. They will not pull those levers until they must. For now, inside the clubhouse, the best way to overcome Alvarado's preventable absence is to treat it like something they could not control. Strahm said he reached out to Alvarado. He hasn't heard back. He understands. Advertisement 'I can only imagine the place he's in right now,' Strahm said. 'Give him his time. Text messages are meant to be responded to when ready. So, I just shot one off.' No answer will be satisfactory following a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. That's just how it is. The Phillies could string together weeks of good relief work and the bullpen would still need to be addressed in July. It would still be a lingering doubt. A good five days are only five days. But it's better than perpetual panic. 'No doubt,' Banks said. 'The only thing is workloads are going to change a little bit. But it's an opportunity. You might find that there's people out there that are more capable of doing greater things than you may expect.' (Top photo of Matt Strahm: Justin Edmonds / Getty Images)
