Phillies Place Struggling Jordan Romano on IL; Release Joe Ross

The Philadelphia Phillies, perched atop the NL East, just made some bold moves to shore up their bullpen. That 13-3 drubbing by the Mets wasn’t pretty, and it really exposed some cracks in their relief pitching.

They put closer Jordan Romano on the injured list, cut loose veteran reliever Joe Ross, and called up fresh arms from Triple-A. The Phillies’ once-comfortable division lead isn’t looking quite so safe, so these changes feel urgent and maybe overdue.

Phillies Shake Up Bullpen After Mets Rout

Monday’s loss to the Mets was the breaking point. The bullpen gave up seven runs in the last three innings, and it got ugly fast.

Jordan Romano, who came over from Toronto after two All-Star seasons, got rocked for four runs. Luis Torrens tagged him for a three-run homer that basically sealed the deal.

Shortly after, the Phillies announced Romano was heading to the 15-day injured list with inflammation in his right middle finger. That news didn’t surprise anyone who’s watched him lately.

Romano’s Rocky Start in Philadelphia

Romano’s 8.23 ERA tells part of the story, but there’s more going on. His velocity’s been down, and his command has looked shaky—maybe that finger injury explains some of it.

He still managed eight saves in 11 tries, but he hasn’t looked like the lockdown closer the Phillies hoped for. Monday’s blowup probably made the decision for them: time to let him heal and hope he can bounce back.

Veteran Joe Ross Released

The bullpen shuffle didn’t stop there. The Phillies also let go of Joe Ross, a nine-year vet who never quite found his groove in Philly.

Ross finished with a 2-1 record and a 5.12 ERA in 36 relief appearances and one spot start. His last outing—a rough eighth inning against the Mets—kind of summed up his stint.

Manager Rob Thomson on Ross’ Departure

Manager Rob Thomson didn’t sugarcoat it. He said the move was all about performance, plain and simple.

Ross brought experience, sure, but the results just weren’t there. With the division race tightening, the Phillies needed every bullpen spot to matter.

Fresh Arms from Triple-A

To patch things up, the Phillies dipped into Triple-A. Two new arms are getting their shot:

• Daniel Robert – Called up from Lehigh Valley, where he’s been a steady multi-inning reliever.
• Lou Trivino – Contract selected after signing this month. He tossed seven scoreless innings in Lehigh Valley and has big-league experience with a handful of teams.

Thomson’s Confidence in the New Additions

Thomson likes Trivino’s “fearlessness” and his mix of pitches. He expects both Trivino and Robert to handle multiple innings, which is huge with how overworked the bullpen’s been.

Maybe these guys can steady things for a while. Or maybe it’s just a stopgap. Guess we’ll see.

NL East Lead Narrowing

The Phillies are still in first, but the gap’s shrinking. After Tuesday’s 6-5 loss to the Mets, their NL East lead is down to five games.

The Braves are charging, the Mets suddenly look alive, and if the bullpen doesn’t step up, things could get tight in a hurry.

The Road Ahead

This week’s bullpen shake-up really shows how fast things can change in a long MLB season. The Phillies’ offense still packs a punch, but closing out games gets tricky without steady late-inning pitching.

If Romano bounces back, and if Trivino and Robert grab their chances, maybe Philadelphia turns its relief woes into a strength. That’s a big “if,” though, and nobody’s pretending it’ll be easy.

Right now, everyone’s just trying to weather the storm and hang onto the division lead. The next few weeks—well, they’ll reveal a lot about how tough this bullpen really is, and whether the Phillies can adjust when things get tense.

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