For the third straight game, Jhoan Duran was called on with a 7-4 lead. He slipped through the ninth, earned his 17th save in 18 chances, and lowered his ERA to 1.99. The Phillies’ closer has been used more aggressively since Don Mattingly took over, prompting
Wednesday night’s moment came fast: with the Phillies nursing a 7-4 lead, Jhoan Duran was called on for a third straight game to protect it against the Blue Jays.
He gave up two hits in the 9th inning, but he danced through the danger and got the job done. Duran secured his 17th save in 18 chances and dropped his ERA to 1.99.
He hasn’t been fragile. Duran has given up runs in just four of his 24 appearances. The only time this year he’s allowed more than one earned run was on Tuesday night in Toronto, when he gave up two runs for his first blown save of the season.
In the middle of all that control, his numbers keep separating him from the rest of the bullpen: only three relievers have more saves than Duran. His 38.6% strikeout rate is 3rd-best in MLB, and his 1.2 fWAR is 6th.
That is exactly why the question about “overusing” him doesn’t feel theoretical. Duran isn’t just another piece. He’s one of the best relievers in baseball, and—outside of Cristopher Sanchez or Kyle Schwarber—may be the player the Phillies can least afford to lose to injury.
But the way he’s been deployed since Mattingly took over in May has become harder to ignore.
Duran pitched in each of the three games in Toronto. He earned a save in the first and third games, and he blew one in the second. Across that stretch, he also pitched in four of the last five games.
This is where the contrast starts to sting.
Under Rob Thomson—since taking over in June of 2022—he was adamant against using relief pitchers three days in a row. That approach held with Jose Alvarado, Carlos Estevez, Jeff Hoffman and Duran. Thomson never did it with any of them.
Now Mattingly has been more aggressive with Duran.
The stakes aren’t abstract. The season runs through September, and the Phillies will have a wild card push as summer progresses. Thomson’s stated rationale for taking it easy was to keep relievers fresh for the entire season. Mattingly is choosing something else: a closer who—at least for now—is being asked to do more of the heavy lifting. because the Phillies keep putting him in the ninth.
The mechanics of that ask matter too. Duran is described as a max effort pitcher. His four-seam fastball averages 100.4 mph, his “slinker” sits at 97.7, and his splitter, slider and curve are all around 88-89 mph. He isn’t someone who typically leaves bullets in the chamber.
Still, Wednesday night offered a tell.
In closing out the Phillies’ 7-4 win, Duran threw 10 pitches to four hitters. None of them were four-seam fastballs. The question isn’t whether he can get batters out—it’s what that choice says about the night. Was it design, an adjustment to give Blue Jays hitters something different to look at after the previous evening?. Or was it the kind of small concession you make when you’re pitching for the third night in a row. saving effort where you can?.
Duran can get away with it. His arsenal is electric. But that doesn’t erase the risk tied to the calendar and the repetition: overuse now could lead to fatigue and ineffectiveness later.
And injury risk is the headline version of that danger, the one that can permanently change a season. Of course, Duran is a veteran. He knows how to pitch, and he knows his body.
The Phillies, too, are built around superstars. Duran is one of them. The Phils traded good prospects to bring him to Philadelphia, so it’s reasonable to ask him to do something relief pitchers used to do regularly.
Still, asking Duran to pitch on a third straight day isn’t a mistake—if he’s made aware ahead of time and believes it’s a good idea.
There’s also a roster-wide message hidden inside the decision. With Duran pitching like this, it sends a signal to the rest of the roster that the standard under Mattingly may be different from the one Thomson ran.
Under Thomson’s approach, there were days built around preservation. Under Mattingly, there are no throwaway games. Each win means something. Each victory is worth securing.
When it’s a chance to win a one-run game in the 9th inning, the closer—barring extenuating circumstances—appears to be the first call.
So should Duran be pitching back-to-back-to-back regularly? Probably not. Mattingly will have to balance rest versus results, because the closer can only carry the weight for so long.
For now. the Phillies are getting the outcome—17 saves in 18 chances. an ERA of 1.99. and another night of survival in the ninth. But the real test won’t be the save on Wednesday night. It will be what happens after the schedule turns the question from “Is this working?” into “Was it worth the cost?”.
Jhoan Duran Don Mattingly Phillies bullpen Blue Jays Rob Thomson relief pitcher usage MLB closer 7-4 win ERA 1.99