The circumstances weren’t perfect that led to Connor Phillips getting called up to the big leagues but the right-handed starter is with the club in Cincinnati after the Reds had to place several more pitchers on the injured list. Cincinnati, now without starting pitchers Graham Ashcraft, Hunter Greene, Brandon Williamson, and Ben Lively had to make some moves to bring up some more pitchers capable of starting. Phillips was the one who got the call today after both Lyon Richardson and Carson Spiers got the call on Friday afternoon – Spiers did not pitch.
For Phillips, the timing can be both good and bad depending on how you want to look at it. The right-hander is coming off of a strong outing in which he threw six shutout innings and allowed just three hits and a walk while picking up six strikeouts against Omaha. But in his previous three starts he had allowed 15 earned runs and thrown just 4.1 innings – not getting out of the second inning in any of the three outings. He walked eight batters and had just three strikeouts in that span. There was a relief appearance in the middle of those three starts where he threw 2.1 hitless innings before rain interrupted and ended his relief appearance (Ben Lively made a rehab start that day, with Phillips taking over later in the game).
On one hand, he was outstanding in his most recent trip to the mound. On the other hand he’s generally struggled int he last month and been outright bad for much of it.
Cincinnati’s #4 prospect at midseason, Phillips has spent about half of his season in Double-A with Chattanooga and the other half in Triple-A with Louisville. He made 14 starts with the Lookouts to begin the year and posted a 3.34 ERA with 111 strikeouts in 64.2 innings. He struggled in his debut with Louisville, but allowed four runs in his next five starts (1.38 ERA) with 31 strikeouts (but 14 walks) in 26.0 innings. That stretch ran into the struggles spoken about above, though, and in total his ERA is now 4.69 for Louisville where he has 30 walks and 43 strikeouts in 40.1 innings.
Phillips would pitch on regular rest by taking the mound on Tuesday. We don’t know if that is when he will or not, but it would make sense if that were the case. How he will perform or really, what is to be expected is up in the air a bit, too. Given the last month of outings he could be outstanding or he could struggle to get through the lineup once.
Phillips was the PTBNL in the Winker/Suarez trade. He’s the last to make his debut of that group, snd is doing it at the same moment when it’s arguable the last we’ll see if Justin Dunn. Funny game
Fraley, Williamson, Phillips – a pretty good haul from the Mariners, as it turns out, for Winker/Suarez.
Yep – if either of the pitchers has any sort of MLB career it’s an easy win for the Reds – so far Fraley has been about 1/2 the WAR value of Suarez, and both are unlikely to alter that ratio in either direction.
The Seattle management said when adding Phillips that it was going to be a big loss.
Brandon Williamson probably wasn’t so deserving at the time either, but he’s made the best of it. Hopefully Phillips can do the same and be respectable and eat innings, but you’re right, Doug, Connor has not been clicking on all cylinders consistently, that’s for sure.