Phillies plan to pitch Bailey Falter on this trip out west. But he won’t throw in the first inning.

DENVER — When Bailey Falter makes his next start with the Phillies, likely on Monday in San Francisco, he will not take the mound in the first inning. Manager Rob Thomson said Friday that the Phillies plan to use an opener with Falter next week. He did not specify which pitcher would be the opener or when exactly Falter would come into the game.

Falter has struggled in the first inning this season. Through seven first innings in 2023, he has a 7.71 ERA. Opposing hitters are hitting .333/.419/.593 against Falter in the first inning. The Phillies hope that by using an opener, that might set him up for success. They also hope that because he’ll be coming off additional rest, Falter will see his fastball velocity tick up a little.

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“Sometimes refreshing and being put in a new environment can be really helpful,” said general manager Sam Fuld. “Regardless of the reasoning behind any potential struggles.”

Falter has struggled in his role as fifth starter this season. He has a 5.75 ERA and is 0-6. He has averaged 90.5 mph on his fastball over his last seven starts — a drop from his average of 91.4 mph last season.

Fuld believes that Falter has been the victim of some bad luck.

“I think we’re seeing in a lot of ways a similar guy,” Fuld said. “There have been some tough innings, some unluckiness. There’s probably some randomness in there, and unfortunately Bailey has been the victim of that. He’s looked really good and had some dominant innings surrounding those innings that have snowballed on him. It’s tough to pin down. But I feel like there is some unluckiness.”

Fuld said that points of emphasis for Falter moving forward will be finding ways to improve his stuff, and to generate more whiffs in counts when he is ahead. The Phillies still see his changeup as a potential putout pitch.

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“The more you can generate swing and miss and put away guys with two strikes, the better success you’re going to have,” Fuld said. “He’s got a really good fastball and a breaking ball that does have a tendency to get swing and miss. But, like with everyone, consistency is going to be important. He’s going to have to rely on command and strike throwing and getting to parts of the zone that are best for him.”

Neither Thomson nor Fuld would specify what the future holds for Falter. When asked how important this outing is, Thomson said they plan to take it “start by start.” When asked how much rope the Phillies plan to give Falter, Fuld emphasized that some other factors might have been at play in his recent outings.

“We recognize some of the factors, maybe there’s some unluckiness, sequencing, things like that,” Fuld said. “We’re confident that Bailey is going to throw a lot of meaningful innings for us.”

Thomson said that José Alvarado (left elbow inflammation) feels better. He said Friday marked Alvarado’s fifth day without throwing. The Phillies are estimating that he won’t throw for seven to 10 days, but they will continue to monitor him. He was placed on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. It’s possible he could play catch while he’s on this road trip with the Phillies.