Héctor Neris gets the Phillies’ closer role to start the season, Joe Girardi says

The Phillies’ rebuilt bullpen includes four new relievers who have experience closing games, but the ninth-inning duties will remain with the same closer from last season’s historically poor unit.

Manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday that Héctor Neris, the team’s primary closer for the last three seasons, will again handle the ninth. Archie Bradley and José Alvarado will be used in setup roles while other newcomers Sam Coonrod and Brandon Kintzler will be utilized when needed.

Neris had a 4.57 ERA in 24 appearances last season, converting five of his eight save chances. His production dipped last summer, but Neris’ strikeout rate (11.2 per nine innings), contact rate (61.4%), swing rate (66.2%), and hard-hit rate (39.7%) were similar to his marks in 2019 when he finished with a 2.93 ERA and 28 saves.

There is an argument that Neris’ biggest detriment last season was bad luck as his batting average on balls in play was .381, the 14th highest among all relievers and 59% higher than it was in 2019.

More balls seemed to fall in last season against Neris, whose FIP — a stat that is similar to ERA but removes the results on balls hit into play — was the 22nd-best among relievers and two runs lower than his ERA.

The Phillies will give Neris the chance to show that he’s more the pitcher he was in 2019 than the one who never seemed to find his footing in last year’s truncated season. But if Neris stumbles, there are options waiting to take the ninth inning.

“Héctor’s been a successful closer, Archie’s been a successful closer. I know Alvarado can close and Kintzler’s been a successful closer,” Girardi said. “I know they can all do it. I just decided to go with Héctor. He’s done it, he’s done it in this town, and I like the way he’s throwing the baseball.”

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The Phillies’ bullpen led the majors last season in blown saves (14) and finished with baseball’s highest ERA (7.06) in 90 years.

But just half of this year’s opening day relievers — Neris, Connor Brogdon, David Hale, and Vince Velasquez — pitched for the Phillies last season. The Phillies had 13 relievers pitch at least five games in 2020 and just four remain with the organization.

The closer is the same, but the bullpen is not.

“When you look at Archie, Archie is kind of a guy you can ask to give you multiple innings in a sense, more than three outs on occasion because he’s comfortable and willing to pitch at any time,” Girardi said. “Alvarado is a lefty I can deploy against lefties depending on where they are in the lineup and Héctor has closed. For the most part, after a slow start last year, I thought he threw the ball pretty well.”

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Neris worked this spring on developing a slider, a pitch he threw early in his career before being instructed to lean primarily on his fastball and splitter. No active pitcher has relied more on a splitter than Neris, who carved a major-league career with that advice from former manager Pete Mackanin and pitching coach Bob McClure.

But sprinkling in a slider would add another dimension as hitters would be unable to simply sit on Neris’ two pitches. He threw the pitch a handful of times this spring, just enough to give batters something to think about.

The intention is not for the slider to replace the splitter, but to make the splitter more effective. And maybe it helps Neris keep himself in the ninth inning.

“I think it will make a big difference just because it gives him another weapon,” Girardi said. “I think anytime that you’re a two-pitch pitcher, your pitches have to be really, really elite. Héctor has an elite split and has the ability to pitch up, but they have a 50-50 chance of guessing right. Now it changes their chances.”

Cody Asche rejoined the Phillies organization as a minor-league hitting coach for low-A Clearwater. The 30-year-old played four seasons with the Phillies before leaving as a free agent after the 2016 season. He last played in 2019 with Boston’s double-A team and the independent Sugar Land Skeeters.

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Clearwater was formerly the team’s high-A affiliate before the minor leagues were restructured this offseason. Lakewood is now high A while Reading (double A) and Lehigh Valley (triple A) remain the same. Minor-league camp started this week in Clearwater, Fla., and the season is scheduled to begin in May.

Ronald Torreyes (hand) and Brad Miller (side muscle) were both cleared to be active for Thursday’s opener. Both start the season as bench players. ... Chase Anderson was scheduled to pitch Wednesday in a simulated game at Citizens Bank Park, keeping him on schedule to start the team’s fifth game of the season. Matt Moore pitched a simulated game Tuesday and will start the fourth game.