After Trades, Phillies Bullpen Finally Taking Shape

The Phillies bullpen has been an issue all season long and Tommy Hunter is well aware.

"Yeah it pisses you off," Hunter said after the Phillies win in Washington on Tuesday night. "We are giving everything we have."

While the Phillies pen may have been giving it everything they had, the talent simply wasn't there. Now, after a pair of trades it appears the team is starting to find its way, including Hunter who pitched a big eighth inning on Wednesday night to help preserve their third straight win.

With the Major League Baseball trade deadline on Monday, the Phillies man have finally found some stability with their bullpen.

Brandon Workman, acquired from the Red Sox in a deal last week, worked a scoreless ninth Wednesday against the Nationals for his second save with the Phillies.  If the Phillies do in fact stick with Workman in that role, that allows Hector Neris to be a strong set-up option, with Hunter and lefty Adam Morgan both valuable pieces.

The team also has veterans David Hale and Heath Hembree, and are also hopeful that Ranger Suarez and Jose Alvarez can return to the team and add more depth to the bullpen.

While it won't be the Phillies calling-card, the collection of veteran arms has give the Phillies a much better shot to compete nightly, something they weren't able to do when they opened this 60-game season.