What happened to Héctor Neris’ missing slider? ‘I’ll use it. I know when.’ | Extra Innings

Win, loss. Win, loss. Loss, win. Loss, win. Loss, win. Loss.

Sensing a pattern?

The Phillies lost Tuesday night, 5-2 in St. Louis, after winning the night before. They have an 11-12 record. An offense that was supposed to mash has instead averaged fewer than four runs per game. They haven’t won back-to-back games since a four-game winning streak to open the season.

”It’s been for a myriad of reasons,” manager Joe Girardi said, citing a lack of clutch hitting, defensive shortcomings, and injuries. “We’ve had chances to. I believe the talent is in there. We just need to play better.”

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— Scott Lauber (extrainnings@inquirer.com)

When Héctor Neris began throwing his slider again in spring training after shelving it for two years, the Phillies believed it would make him less predictable to hitters who had grown familiar with his fastball-splitter combination in the ninth inning of close games.

But through 11 outings this season, guess how many sliders Neris has thrown.

One.

“That’s something that will be talked about,” manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday.

Girardi has been mostly pleased with Neris since naming him the closer on the eve of opening day. Neris blew a save in the first game of an April 13 doubleheader against the Mets and gave up a walk-off home run to the Rockies’ Raimel Tapia last Friday night in Colorado. Overall, though, he had converted four of five save opportunities, struck out 27.5% of the batters he faced, and posted a 1.86 ERA entering Wednesday night’s game in St. Louis.

“He’s made a few mistakes in the zone when you look at it, but for the most part, he’s closed games that we needed to close,” Girardi said. “He’s done a pretty good job.”

Girardi said he isn’t tempted to try out anyone else in the closer role, even after hard-throwing lefty José Alvarado’s return this week from seven days in COVID-19 protocol or once Archie Bradley finally gets back from a strained oblique muscle in his right side. (Bradley, sidelined since April 11, is not yet throwing off a mound.)

But Girardi also can’t help wondering if a third pitch would make Neris better.

And after the manager’s heart skipped a beat — “Not one. Two,” he said — when the Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado crushed a 95-mph fastball to the warning track in center field for the last out of Monday night’s 2-1 win in St. Louis, Girardi was asked why he thinks Neris’ slider has disappeared.

“Not really sure,” he said. “From what I understand, he’s been throwing it pretty well in the bullpen. You tell guys, ‘Don’t get beat by your third-best pitch,’ so it’s kind of a Catch-22.”

The slider has always been Neris’ third-best pitch. But he threw it more frequently early in his career, including at a 16.9% rate in 2015. He all but ditched the slider in 2018 after giving up two homers with it in a 16-day span in May, fumbling the closer job, and winding up back in the minor leagues. He made his way back on the strength of his fastball and signature splitter and closed the season with a 20-appearance stretch in which he posted a 2.04 ERA and a 35-to-5 strikeouts-to-walks ratio in 17⅔ innings.

After not throwing any sliders in 2019 or last year, Neris toyed with it in the offseason in the Dominican Republic and brought it to spring training. Girardi liked what he saw, encouraging Neris to consider using it in games. He wasn’t shy about throwing the slider in Grapefruit League games, a sign that he was getting more comfortable with it as a weapon for when the games counted.

“Everything I think can help me take out the batter, I use it,” Neris said a few weeks ago. “Last year I used a sinker a lot. This year I thought, ‘Let me have my slider again.’ I feel like I’m putting something in extra in the mind with the hitter. I think it could help me be better.”

Asked if he felt the slider was ready for the ninth inning of a close game, Neris reacted with something between a smile and a wince.

“I’ll use it. I know when,” he said. “I have it. And I’ll be confident with that pitch. I’m not using it already, but when I use it, I know I’ll be sure it’ll be working.”

Girardi noted that Neris hasn’t had many low-stress saves. Seven of Neris’ outings have come with the Phillies tied, leading by one run, or leading by two runs with a runner on base. He hasn’t had much margin for error or freedom to experiment with a pitch he doesn’t trust.

“I’d kind of like to get him some three-run saves here, so [the slider] is maybe a little more in play for him,” Girardi said. “It’s a conversation that will take place.

“I think any time you have more weapons, you have different ways to get people out. When you’ve got a [hitter] sitting on one pitch in a sense, you’ve got a 50 percent chance of getting it right instead of a 33 percent chance.”

Fans can greet Odúbel Herrera in one of a few ways when the Phillies return home Friday night. The choice seems obvious to Bob Brookover.

What do the Phillies hope struggling left fielder Andrew McCutchen will wind up having in common with Carlton Fisk in 1983? Find out here.

In case you missed yesterday’s newsletter, it’s worth revisiting Matt Breen’s story of how José Alvarado relied on a bike, a net, and his dad to stay in shape while in COVID protocol last week.

Tonight: Vince Velasquez vs. Cardinals righty Johan Oviedo, 7:45 p.m.

Tomorrow: Aaron Nola starts series finale in St. Louis, 1:15 p.m.

Friday: Chase Anderson meets the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, 7:05 p.m.

Saturday: Ex-Met Zack Wheeler takes on his former team, 6:05 p.m.

Sunday: Zach Eflin faces Mets on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, 7:08 p.m.

In 23 games, Bryce Harper has come to the plate just 12 times with a runner in scoring position. Not ideal, right? One solution: Flip-flop Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto in the No. 2 and 4 spots in the order, at least temporarily.

Hoskins has batted second in all but one of the 62 games he has started for Girardi. It’s a spot that should suit him. He’s a power hitter who typically carries a high on-base percentage. But despite hitting eight homers already, he has reached base at only a .295 clip.

Realmuto, meanwhile, has a .420 on-base percentage.

Hoskins also has a .932 OPS in 215 career games in the cleanup spot. And given his recent power binge, he would offer suitable protection in the lineup for Harper.

“Could think about that,” Girardi said. “Part of the reason [Harper] hasn’t had many opportunities is Rhys has cleaned some of them up, right? But the No. 2 spot has seemed to fit Rhys pretty well, so I’m more apt to leave it the same.”

Send questions by email or on Twitter @ScottLauber.

Question: Will the Phillies pursue contract extensions with Neris or Eflin? — David L., via Twitter (@WTPDavid)

Answer: Good one, David. Thanks for asking.

Neris can be a free agent after the season, and I imagine he will test his value, as most players do when they’re on the cusp of the open market. But if I’m the Phillies, I’m absolutely trying to lock up Eflin. And if I’m Eflin, well, I’d listen.

Yes, Eflin is emerging as a frontline starter. Yes, he’s due to hit the market in 2022 after his age-28 season. That used to be a prime age for starters to cash in. Not so much anymore. Know how many free-agent starters got multiyear deals this past offseason? Six. Know how many topped $25 million? One.

Maybe it will get better for free agents under the next collective bargaining agreement. Maybe not. Either way, it seems like an extension might benefit both the Phillies and Eflin.