Starter Spotlight: Can They Get The Sweep?

7-21-24 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on X

A comeback win Friday.

A dominant pitching performance on Saturday.

What is in store for the final game of the series today?

Pirates will face off against rookie Tyler Phillips with a potential sweep of the best team in baseball on the line.

Phillips has posted a 4.50 ERA over his first 10 major league innings but his minor league numbers have been fairly sub-par.

He was a 2015 draft pick by the Texas Rangers in the 16th round – 468th overall – out of Bishop Estate Prep in Pennsauken, NJ.

The Rangers DFA’d Phillips in 2021 before he was claimed by the Phillies but his overall numbers – 4.33 ERA and 1.32 WHIP through 675.1 minor league innings – are a tad uninspiring.

Given the mostly minor league career to-date, there’s not much readily available data on Phillips.

It appears he primarily uses a low-80s sweeper and mid-90s sinker, working both down and away from RHH.

He also mixes in a low-90s 4-seam running high in the zone with a low-80s curve dropping down on hitters. It’s a small sample size but the off-speed/breaking stuff are the far superior offerings.

Phillips has some stark reverse splits in his brief MLB career but that’s been prevalent in his minor league numbers as well as each step has seen him fare worse against RHH than LHH.

Bucs bats should be looking for the elevated sinker and be patient at the plate. Although he was praised for his control when he was drafted, Phillips has seen an increase in walks as he has elevated through the minor leagues while he has seen a near equal decrease in his strikeout numbers.

Lay off the sweeper, attack the heat and break out some brooms today.

Let’s Go Bucs!