Evan

Phillips

The Dodgers can’t hold this one against Phillips. He did allow a couple of hits, but the three separate misplays in the inning weren’t his fault and the one walk in the frame was an intentional pass to Cody Bellinger. Phillips came into this one having allowed two runs — one earned — in 14 1/3 innings since the beginning of August, and he should still be in the mix for saves in L.A.

Phillips took advantage of an aggressive group of Arizona hitters and needed just 10 pitches to get his three outs. The right-hander has four saves in the second half of the year, and has picked up two in the last three games. Michael Kopech is still going to get the majority of chances, but Phillips might get a few more than anticipated.

It’s his third save of the second half. Phillips hit the first batter he faced with a 3-0 pitch tonight, but he had no further issues and wound up with two strikeouts. He has a 0.79 ERA and a 20/1 K/BB ratio in 11 1/3 innings this month. Michael Kopech, who pitched the previous two days and was likely unavailable tonight, is the favorite for saves in L.A. at this point, but Phillips has definitely reentered the mix.

Phillips was called upon to preserve a one-run lead in the ninth inning and immediately coughed up a game-tying solo shot to Rays rookie sensation Junior Caminero. It was his third blown save of the year and snapped a streak of 10 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run. The only positive here is that he struck out the side afterwards to send the contest to extra innings. The Dodgers have some closing alternatives, including newly-acquired Michael Kopech, but at this point it’s difficult to imagine them taking the ninth inning away from Phillips considering how well he’s been pitching of late prior to this one.

Phillips has allowed only an unearned run and amassed a 12/1 K/BB in 7 1/3 innings this month. Michael Kopech was down tonight because of concerns about his workload, and he remains the favorite for saves in L.A. for now. However, Phillips is back in early season form now and still could be a factor in mixed leagues down the stretch.

Phillips entered with two on and two out and a 5-0 lead in the sixth inning and allowed four straight singles to Yainer Diaz, Jeremy Pena, Jake Meyers and Victor Caratini. When he was removed, it was 5-4. Phillips has just 15 saves on the season and is no stranger to working in middle relief of late. He has a 4.18 ERA on the year as he continues to struggle for Los Angeles.

It’s worth noting that Evan Phillips worked in the seventh inning for the Dodgers on Thursday, and he pitched well with a scoreless inning, no walks and a strikeout. Los Angeles turned to Honeywell for the save chance, and the right-hander allowed just one hit while picking up a strikeout himself. Honeywell can’t be counted on for saves going forward, so his fantasy value remains limited in his relief role.

Don’t let the save fool you; this was not a great outing for Phillips. The right-hander has struggled of late, particularly against left-handed hitters, and has seen his velocity dip which has led to fewer save chances. On Tuesday, Alex Vesia started the ninth inning with the Dodgers up 5-1 but loaded the bases with nobody out. He did retire the next two batters, but Dave Roberts decided to go to Phillips with Jorge Soler coming up. Phillips walked him on four pitches, bringing in a run. He was then able to get LaMonte Wade Jr. to ground out and earn his 15th save of the season, but only three of the nine pitches Phillips threw were for strikes, so he’s not out of the woods yet with his struggles.

Evan Phillips went unused tonight, though that was to be expected after he threw 36 pitches the previous two days. Hudson probably is the favorite for saves in the Dodgers pen for the short term. It doesn’t sound like Dave Roberts has given up on Phillips, but it will probably be a little while before Phillips is asked to close again.

Roberts refused to commit to either leaving Phillips in the closer’s role or taking him out of it, but the guess is that he’ll get at least a brief break here after giving up seven runs in his last three appearances and 10 in his last eight. Daniel Hudson should be worth playing in fantasy leagues for at least the near future.