Falter will pitch behind an opener the next time he takes the hill for the Phillies, which will likely come Monday against the Giants, Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
After producing a 3.86 ERA in 20 appearances (16 starts) last season, Falter has struggled to a 5.75 ERA in seven starts this year. His fastball velocity has fallen from 91.6 mph to 90.9 mph, while his strikeout rate has dropped from 21.2 percent to 17.0 percent. He continues to show good control, with his 5.2 percent walk rate a near match for his 4.9 percent mark from last year, but his mediocre stuff has made it hard for him to retire the opposing team's best bats, leading to a 7.71 ERA in the first inning. Pitching behind an opener means Falter will get to skip those best bats the first time through the order and also means he won't have to last five innings to have a shot at a win.