The bullpen strikes again: Diamondbacks 8, Phillies 4

It started out cool.

The team even got five innings out of Jake Arrieta. At only 80 pitches, you’d have though that perhaps Gabe Kapler was going to go a little further with the right hander to see what he could do.

Nope.

With the score 3-2 going into the bottom of the sixth, out trotted Ranger Suarez to try and lead the bullpen in an episode of preservation of the lead. After two innings of Suarez and Blake Parker, the team had lost a lead and the game.

Suarez began the inning by striking out David Peralta, but then issued a single, then two walks, then another single, ending the lead. It led to some pretty funny reactions on Twitter.

It is slightly strange that a few days after Suarez couldn’t get warm in the bullpen, therefore couldn’t come in Sunday’s game, he enters Tuesday’s game and can’t find the strikezone at all. It’s possible he’s injured, but what would happen then? Would you sign someone else?

Parker came in to end the sixth, but then he got tagged for 3 in the seventh inning before Zach Eflin came in to finish it off. At least he got someone ejected.

I’d say that’s a productive outing from Eflin.

Were there highlights from the Phillies? Sure, Adam Haseley went 3 for 4 and now has his average up to .280 and an OPS of .785. Jean Segura went 3 for 5, another good game out of the five spot in the lineup.

Again though, those accomplishments were overshadowed by a bullpen that just can’t string together good outings when they need them. Now they’re down Adam Morgan and they’ve just become a lot thinner. You can probably expect a signing or two in the next few days as players get through waivers and are either claimed or released. For now, we can take solace in the fact that the team is still in a wild card spot, and controls their own fate. Take tomorrow’s game and they have a series victory. Keep winning series and they’ll be playing in October.