IronPigs Today: BullPen Woes 5/7/25

The IronPigs seem to be catching a piece of whatever ails the parent club in the relief department.  This after we’ve been describing all the depth we have around here, as well as taking stock of how they have been pitching lately.  Combined, to the end point of, maybe trading quality prospects for rental relievers at the deadline should only happen after giving a few of these quality guys a chance.  Let’s take a quick look at the last four losses suffered by the Triple-A IronPigs this season (granted, this takes us back a couple weeks, so it is a good team–but that makes the losses more painful sometimes.)

4/26:  8-5 Loss to Columbus: 10 Innings.  Lazar pitches a scoreless 9th.  Comes back out for the 10th and gets two outs, now with the placed runner on third.  Walk.  Home Run.

5/2: 15-14 Loss To Rochester:  10 Innings.  Starter gives up 6 runs over 5 innings and leaves down 6-1.  McMillon gives up 2 runs on a hit, a walk and his own error.  Mercado gives up 2 runs on three hits. But still, the IronPigs somehow take a 3-run lead after scoring 12 runs over the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings.  Kuhnel gives up a single and a homer to pull Rochester to within one.  Then, he gives up two more singles. Lazar comes in and allows a run on a throwing error before getting out of it.  But then he comes back out in the 10th and allows a single, a walk and a two-run single to end the game.

5/4: 7-6 Loss To Rochester:  8 innings in a 7-inning game.  With a 2-run lead de Geus pitches a scoreless bottom of the sixth.  Then, he comes back out for the 7th (and final scheduled) inning and allows a single and a double to bring Rochester to within one.  Then Lazar comes in and allows a single and a sac fly to tie the game.  Aoyagi comes in and allows a Kemp error, a walk, and a two-run single to win the game for Rochester in the eighth.

5/6: 6-4 Loss To Worcester:  10 innings.  Crismatt leaves after 6 with a 1-0 lead.  Mercado comes in and allows a solo HR, a single, a walk and a double to go down 2-1.  Zuñiga gets out of it stranding two.  Then he comes back out and pitches top of the eighth around one walk.  (noted). After the IronPigs push across a tying run in the bottom of the eighth, Kuhnel comes in and holds serve around two singles.  Then he comes back out with the placed runner on second for the 10th and gets a ground out and a tag at the plate for the second out.  But then allows a single, a HBP, and a grand slam HR which the IronPigs could not recover from, despite efforts.

So what have we learned here?  

1. We should probably go back and re-do the Stock Report post, and update some ratings.
2. Not every guy needs to be up and down.  Find out which guys the Phillies want to see in multi-inning roles and use them, and only them, in that manner.  Everyone else, one inning when it’s your turn, and that’s it unless you’re cleaning up someone else’s mess.  Or, if you’re pitching on a Painter Day because he’ll only go three or four innings usually.
3. Stop playing extra inning games if you can help it.  You think you’re getting cute with the pitchers, but you have a lot of them, a day off every week, and the extra innings just mean you’re using more pitchers anyway.  End it; play to win.
4. Some of these guys absolutely do deserve a look with the big club when the opportunity presents, but it doesn’t look like it’s all the guys who currently have the 40-man spots.
5. Complaining about bullpen usage in the minors is different:  Guys need to pitch, so everyone gets his chance.  But it seems like things are getting fancy and there’s enough guys that you should almost always have an extra guy or two available.  This is the team that accidentally left a name OFF the lineup card making him ineligible to pitch even when it WAS his turn.  So, it seems like it’s fair to criticize the usage here.

Interesting Stats

• The IronPigs are 15-4 when Stubbs is behind the plate
• The Ironpigs are 0-2 when Otto Kemp plays Left Field
• The IronPigs are 13-4 when Gabriel Rincones Jr hits third in the lineup
• The IronPigs are 16-6 when Justin Crawford leads off
• The IronPigs are 36-40 (47%) on ABS Challenges
• Their opponents are 22-32 (41%)
• The Ironpigs are 6-1 in the home white jerseys, and 8-1 in the road grays
• The IronPigs are 4-5 in the blue batting practice jerseys
• The IronPigs are 5-1 on Thursdays
• The IronPigs are 2-3 on Saturdays

Standings Watch

The IronPigs are 23-11 and tied for first place in the league standings in the first half.  Durham has won 8 in a row and moves into the tie.  Jacksonville won as well, and remains one game back.  In the West, Memphis and Nashville are three games back.

The first half ends on June 22, a Sunday home game with Rochester.  Not getting ahead of ourselves around here but finishing the first half with another Rochester series is not a bad thing.

Roster Moves

Pre-game, Tuesday 5/6:

• C Payton Henry activated from the Injured List
• OF Cade Furgus assigned to Double-A Reading
• C Josh Breaux assigned to Double-A Reading
• RHP Andrew Painter assigned to Triple-A IronPigs

Printable Roster:

More On Worcester

Check out the Series Preview for a full preview including info on the Red Sox affiliate.

Game Day!

6:45PM First Pitch  –  5:30PM Gates (East/Center)  –  5:15PM Club

Promotion:  Tacos and Tall Boys:  Tacos in the plaza, 2 for $5 or 5 for $10.  $5 16oz selected “Tall Boy” cans throughout the park. Stroke Awareness Night.  Tyler’s Balancing Act.  QVC Broadcasting Live.

Weather:  72° and sunny at game time.  Breezy as the game starts but calming, dipping down to 65° by game end.

Pitching: 

IronPigs: RHP Kyle Tyler (3-2, 3.16)

Worcester: LHP Shane Drohan (3-0, 1.90).

2020 5th-round pick out of Florida State. Battled back from injury in 2024 before getting released by the White Sox from his Rule 5 draft spot and being offered back to the Red Sox.  Has not gone deep into games this season. 

See you at the park,

@Kram207

Featured Image of veteran RHP Brett de Geus, by Cheryl Pursell.  It has been cropped to fit the space.