Phillies' Matt Strahm: Settling back into setup role
Rotowire
Strahm picked up a hold in Saturday's 3-2 win over Texas, allowing one run on one hit and no walks in the eighth inning. He struck out one.
After spending a brief time in a committee at closer with Orion Kerkering amid Jordan Romano's struggles, Strahm has fallen back down the pecking order in Philadelphia's bullpen since Jhoan Duran was added to the mix. With Jose Alvarado also set to be reinstated from his 80-game suspension later in August, Strahm will likely soon have even more competition for high-leverage work. Strahm hasn't seen a save opportunity since July 13 in San Diego, though he does sport a 2.13 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 17:6 K:BB over his last 13 outings (12.2 innings).
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Phillies' Matt Strahm: Secures save Sunday
Rotowire
Strahm walked two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Padres.
Strahm threw just seven of 16 pitches for strikes, but he was able to avoid giving up a run to preserve a thin lead. He's on a six-inning scoreless streak, during which he has picked up two saves and one hold while adding a 7:4 K:BB. Strahm is at a 3.29 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 44:12 K:BB with six saves, 10 holds and four blown saves over 38.1 innings this season. The Phillies' closer role is a committee at this point, but Strahm has been more reliable than Jordan Romano or Orion Kerkering in recent weeks.
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Phillies' Matt Strahm: Fires clean eighth inning Saturday
Rotowire
Strahm threw a clean eighth inning in Saturday's 5-4 loss to San Diego. He struck out two.
Even though Strahm hasn't seen a save chance since June 29, he's been excellent to start July. The veteran left-hander has fanned multiple batters in three of his first four appearances of the month, allowing a lone hit over four scoreless innings so far. It's worth noting Orion Kerkering has stumbled to a 6.23 ERA over his last 4.1 frames, which should give Strahm a leg up in Philadelphia's competition for save opportunities going forward.
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Phillies' Matt Strahm: Escapes with save
Rotowire
Strahm allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning while earning a save over Atlanta on Sunday.
Strahm was in charge of finishing off the 2-1 victory and ran into some trouble. However, he forced a Stuart Fairchild flyout with runners on the corners to end the contest. Strahm now has five saves this season, including three since June 14. He owns a 3.78 ERA with a 37:9 K:BB through 33.1 frames. Orion Kerkering tossed a scoreless eighth inning with three strikeouts Sunday, and Jordan Romano did not make an appearance after yielding four runs Saturday.
Strahm gave up a run on three hits in the ninth inning Wednesday to record his fourth save of the season in a 4-2 win over the Marlins. He struck out two.
Orion Kerkering worked a scoreless eighth inning against the top of Miami's order, while Strahm had a little trouble putting away the Marlins' 4-5-6 hitters but ultimately got the job done. The two relievers appear to be manager Rob Thomson's top high-leverage options at the moment, and between them Strahm and Kerkering have collected all three of the Phillies' saves in June. Matchups could be the biggest factor in determining which of them handle closing duties for any particular game, but Strahm will likely need to improve on his current form to stay in the mix -- the southpaw's been scored upon in three of his last four appearances, and over his last 10 games and 9.2 innings he's stumbled to a 6.52 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB.
Strahm earned the save in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.
Strahm was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth and needed just seven pitches to do so. It was notable that the southpaw was used against three right-handed hitters, perhaps a reflection of Jordan Romano allowing runs in three of his past four appearances. On the year, Strahm owns a 3.49 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 33:8 K:BB across 28.1 innings, and he could challenge for the closer role if Romano's struggles persist.
Phillies' Matt Strahm: Takes fourth blown save Monday
Rotowire
Strahm blew the save in Monday's 4-3 extra-innings win over the Cubs after giving up a solo home run and a walk with no strikeouts in the eighth inning.
Strahm was charged with his fourth blown save of the season, and he's now gone a poor 2-for-6 on save opportunities this year. The veteran left-hander has begun to struggle as a setup man in Philadelphia's bullpen, logging a 5.06 ERA and 1.38 WHIP over his last 16 innings. Jordan Romano has been shaky as the Phillies' closer -- he owns a 7.40 ERA and 1.64 WHIP in 2025 -- but Strahm's recent performance hasn't helped his case as a potential ninth-inning option.
Phillies' Matt Strahm: Second save in extra innings
Rotowire
Strahm picked up the save in Thursday's 7-6 extra-inning win over the Rays after allowing one unearned run on two hits in the 10th inning. He struck out two.
It was the second save of the year for Strahm, who was brought in to work the 10th frame after closer Jose Alvarado kept the game tied in the ninth. While Strahm began the season with a scoreless streak of 6.1 innings, he has a 4.82 ERA over his last 9.1 frames and has seen just three save chances overall this year. The southpaw is still one of Philadelphia's top left-handed relievers, but Strahm remains behind Alvarado in the bullpen pecking order when it comes to ninth-inning work.
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Phillies' Matt Strahm: Collects first save of 2025
Rotowire
Strahm earned the save in Tuesday's 6-4 win over the Giants, striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning.
Strahm was brought in for the ninth inning of Tuesday's game after usual closer Jose Alvarado was deployed in the eighth frame to preserve the Phillies' lead. Strahm needed only seven pitches (six of which were strikes) to dispatch the Phillies in order, including a three-pitch punchout of Patrick Bailey for the second out. Strahm has opened the season with a 1.23 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB across 7.1 innings.
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Phillies' Matt Strahm: Gives up first run this season
Rotowire
Strahm gave up one run on one hit in one inning Sunday against St. Louis, striking out three.
Strahm threw 15 of his 19 pitches for strikes but struggled with his command, allowing a Yohel Pozo leadoff double to eventually come around to score following a wild pitch. It was the first run Strahm allowed so far this year, so the southpaw should remain Philadelphia's top left-handed setup man while Jose Alvarado works as the primary closer. Through 7.1 innings, Strahm has yielded only four hits, registered a 12:2 K:BB and tallied three holds.
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