Bullpen move backfires as Phillips 'going through it'

HOUSTON -- Over the last two seasons, Evan Phillips has been one of the most dominant relievers in the Majors. His emergence in the backend of the bullpen has been one of the main reasons the Dodgers’ relief corps has had so much success during his time in Los Angeles.

But over the last month, Phillips has, shockingly, been one of the most inefficient arms in the Dodgers’ bullpen. He came into Saturday with a 9.35 ERA over his last 10 appearances.

Those struggles were in the spotlight once again on Saturday as the right-hander was mostly responsible for a disastrous sixth inning that led to the Dodgers’ 7-6 loss to the Astros at Minute Maid Park. Phillips' ERA over his last 11 appearances ballooned to 11.42.

"I feel like if I do my job there, it sets us up better to finish the game in an easier manner,” Phillips said. “Really frustrating not to get the job done in that kind of spot. Just gotta keep on chipping away and try to build back into who I can be. … I need better results right now. Period."

The decision to use Phillips in a leverage spot would’ve been a no-brainer for the Dodgers about a month ago. But on Saturday, it was a tougher decision for Los Angeles, given how well rookie left-hander Justin Wrobleski had pitched up to that point.

Wrobleski kept the Astros’ lineup off balance for most of the night, getting through the fifth inning without much action on the bases or any real threats. In the sixth, however, the Astros quickly got two runners on to put some pressure on him in his fourth Major League start. Wrobleski, however, was able to battle back with two quick outs, including getting Yordan Alvarez to fly out weakly to center field for the second out.

That’s when Roberts was faced to make a decision. He could’ve stuck with Wrobleski against righty Yainer Diaz, or he could turn to Phillips -- a reliever who was the team’s closer just two weeks ago -- in a five-run game. Roberts elected to lean on Phillips, but that resulted in a morale boost for the Astros’ offense, which quickly put up four runs on four consecutive singles.

"As soon as I took out Wrobleski, to be quite honest,” Roberts said, when asked when he felt the momentum change for the Astros. “It was the first time he had gone into the sixth inning in his big league career. He pitched his tail off. There wasn’t a whole lot of swing-and-miss tonight, so I just felt Diaz had good at-bats. It was just a good opportunity, I felt, to get Evan in the game to put the fire out. ... Obviously, it didn’t work.”

Up to that point, Diaz had singled against Wrobleski and sent James Outman deep into center field to make a leaping catch at the wall. Despite his struggles, Phillips has still limited right-handed hitters to a .169 average this season.

A combination of those reasons, Roberts explained, is why he turned to Phillips. The decision, of course, did come as a surprise to Wrobleski.

"Obviously, as a starting pitcher, I love to stay in the game,” Wrobleski said. “But at the end of the day, my job is to go out there and throw the ball until Dave takes it from me. Anybody with a competitive bone in their body wants to stay in the game, especially in a big moment like that, with the crowd yelling at you.”

When asked why he went with Phillips and not another high-leverage reliever, Roberts explained that the Dodgers only had four relievers available coming into the game. Blake Treinen, who allowed the walk-off homer to Alex Bregman in the ninth, was a reliever they were trying to avoid using.

"I put that pressure on these guys later in the game to keep us there,” Phillips said. “It's all been extremely frustrating, but I don't want to just say it's part of baseball. I'm definitely going through it right now."

With Phillips “going through it,” the Dodgers could look to try and improve their bullpen before the July 30 Trade Deadline coming up on Tuesday. Getting starting pitching help and an outfielder are among the other needs for a club that has hovered around .500 over the last two months.

"The bottom line is, we’re in first place and you have to win games somehow,” Roberts said. “But the rubber does hit the road at some point and when guys are taxed -- when you’re using them, it is a cost. Absolutely.”