Phillies trade Phillips after disastrous start and bring back familiar face

Phillies opt for Phillips after disastrous start and bring back familiar face. Originally published on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Phillies had hoped Tyler Phillips could fill the fifth spot in their rotation until left-hander Kolby Allard can be recalled from Triple A on Sept. 10. However, Phillips pitched so poorly on Tuesday that he was sent back to Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

The Phils opted to sign right-hander Nick Nelson in early April, who made three appearances, one last season and 47 the year before. To make room for Nelson on the 40-man roster, right-hander Michael Rucker was designated for assignment.

Phillips was hit hard in Toronto, not making it past the first inning, putting eight men on base and allowing six runs. The Phillies eventually came back and won 10-9 thanks to Kyle Schwarber’s third home run of a five-hit night.

Phillips, whose minor league numbers were unspectacular, had a fairytale first month in the major leagues in July, going 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 25 innings and capping it off with a four-hit shutout against the first-place Cleveland Guardians.

Since then, things have gone downhill. In his last 11⅔ innings, he allowed 23 earned runs, the highest ERA of any Phillies over a four-game period in 30 years.

The Phillies have options for the next time the fifth spot is available on Sunday in Miami. It could be Nelson as a starter or as a bulk reliever. It could be a true bullpen game, depending on how much of it is used the previous two nights.

For the Phillies, Cristopher Sanchez will pitch in Toronto on Wednesday, followed by Ranger Suarez, Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and No. 5 in Miami.

Taijuan Walker was taken out of the rotation after the Astros beat him hard last Wednesday. He made his bullpen debut Tuesday night with three innings of relief, allowing two runs on a home run by Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Allard has performed best as a spot starter, posting a 3.50 ERA in four appearances (three starts) and allowing just four runs in 14 innings with two walks and 12 strikeouts in his last three appearances.

Harper and Castellanos back

There was some uncertainty as to whether Bryce Harper or Nick Castellanos would be in the lineup the day after a night game in which both sustained injuries.

Castellanos had to leave the game late after being hit in the leg by a pitch. He is the DH and still aims to start all 162 games.

Harper grimaced during his final at-bat of the night and dropped his bat as he retired. Manager Rob Thomson told reporters after the game that Harper sprained his elbow, which has been bothering him for several weeks. Harper is also battling a wrist injury that has lingered since May.

Harper went 2-for-6 on Tuesday, and although he hasn’t hit a home run in 92 consecutive at-bats since Aug. 9, he has a .372/.449/.535 batting average with seven doubles in his last 11 games.