Concern over Kimbrel? Why Thomson used Kerkering when he did

Concern over Kimbrel? Why Thomson used Kerkering when he did originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

PHOENIX — The Phillies’ pitching staff has had a lights-out month of October and it mostly continued in their 2-1 loss in Game 3, with Ranger Suarez delivering another great postseason start, Jeff Hoffman working out of a jam in a scoreless game and Jose Alvarado getting through two innings on just 15 pitches.

They were hurt, however, by their least and most experienced arms. Rookie Orion Kerkering, called up for the first time on September 22, allowed the first earned run of his career in his eighth appearance (regular season and playoffs) to blow a seventh-inning lead.

Future Hall of Fame closer Craig Kimbrel had poor command in the ninth inning, throwing 11 of his 24 pitches for balls, walking two and allowing the walk-off single to Ketel Marte.

The Phillies lost the game mainly because they did nothing offensively, scoring their only run on a wild pitch. Still, manager Rob Thomson’s decision to turn to Kerkering with a one-run lead in the bottom of the seventh was called into question after the game.

The Diamondbacks had three right-handed hitters due up in Tommy Pham, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Evan Longoria. Hoffman and Alvarado had already been used and Kimbrel was being saved for the ninth inning. Aside from Kerkering, the other option would have been Seranthony Dominguez. Thomson’s rationale for using Kerkering, he explained Friday afternoon, was that he figured Arizona would use left-handed pinch-hitters and he liked Kerkering’s slider better against lefties than Dominguez.

Arizona did, in fact, pinch-hit a lefty in the inning, using Pavin Smith in place of Longoria. Kerkering allowed two singles and an RBI double to the only three hitters he faced.

It was the second straight game that Pham and Gurriel saw Kerkering, so it might be Hoffman or Dominguez the next time that spot comes up if they haven’t already been used. Individual matchups carry increased importance in a short series, even when the sample sizes are small. Kerkering struck out both of them along with Gabriel Moreno to end a 10-0 win in Game 2.

“Yeah, I think expand the zone a little bit with his slider,” Thomson said of what Kerkering could have done differently the second time around. “He just didn’t execute a couple of pitches.”

Kimbrel’s first pitch of the bottom of the ninth to Gurriel was in the middle of the zone but called a ball, an ominous sign. He ended up putting four of the five men he faced on base. Lefty Matt Strahm was warming up for Corbin Carroll and would have entered if Marte hadn’t walked the D-backs off first.

Kimbrel has appeared in 76 games as a Phillie and allowed a run in 18 of them. In 13 of those 18, he either walked multiple batters, as he did in Game 3, or was taken deep. There are few examples of teams stringing hits together against him. In fact, he hasn’t allowed more than two hits in any appearance as a Phillie.

After throwing 24 high-stress pitches in Game 3, the Phils are probably looking to stay away from Kimbrel, if possible, in Game 4. They have three straight nights of games for the first time this postseason, and Thomson prefers to avoid using a reliever in three straight at all costs, even this time of year. That doesn’t mean Kimbrel is definitely down for Game 4, just that Thomson may manage the later innings differently to try to win while preserving him for Saturday.

“I trust these guys,” Thomson said. “That’s the first run he’s given up in the playoffs. Has he scattered the zone at times? Sure. But if you look at our charts, everybody’s had a little bit of a hiccup, but they’ve bounced back. So you’ve got to trust that.”