Kerkering hasn't turned in a 1-2-3 inning since Aug. 16 against the Twins. Over his past six appearances, he's allowed seven runs (five earned) off seven hits, three walks, two hit batters and one wild pitch.
"Just not making the pitch when he needs it," Mattingly said. "We’ve seen it in a couple of different games, but I like his stuff. He’s one of our better arms in almost any situation."
Of course, that doesn't mean the Phillies won't need Kerkering down the stretch.
"Still know that he's going to have to get big outs at different times of the game," Mattingly said. "But I think it's fair to say that you have to pay attention to what's going on."
So, who steps into that role?
Well, it appeared that rookie Alex McFarlane was ready to run away with that opportunity ... until Sunday afternoon's 5-4 loss to the Braves.
The rookie reliever had thrived since rejoining the bullpen on Aug. 11, putting up a 0.79 ERA through his first 11 career appearances. He had been gradually deployed in tougher and tougher spots over the past two weeks -- but he finally ran into some trouble on Sunday.
Called on to protect a three-run lead, McFarlane allowed a pair of hits before serving up a game-tying three-run homer to Ronald Acuña Jr. He left the mound having recorded only one out while giving up three runs, raising his ERA from 0.79 to 3.09.
Again, that's how quickly things can change in the bullpen.
“He's been working his way up, for sure,” Mattingly said prior to Sunday's misstep. "He's been throwing the ball well."
Teammate Alec Bohm elaborated a bit further.
"Dude, he’s really good,” Bohm said. “I’m glad he’s on our team. I feel like he's just getting more and more confident every time he gets out there. And that’s going to be huge for us down the stretch. I mean, he’s got elite stuff. It’s a very talented arm.
"The more and more that kid can get his feet wet for us and just get comfortable out there is going to be really important."
