Phillies Mailbag: Stubbs, Rotation, the Closer

We are back once again with the 97.3 ESPN Phillies Mailbag.  Each week we take your questions and answer them on The Sports Bash with Mike Gill.  Tune in Tuesday afternoons to hear your questions answered on the air.

Rafael Marchan is batting just .087 so far.  Is it time to bring Garrett Stubbs back up?
~Chris

At the end of 2025 Spring Training, catcher Garrett Stubbs was the unlucky one, optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after Rafael Marchan was given the backup catcher job.  Stubbs did not necessarily do anything to lose his job; he had a contract option left and Marchan did not.

Marchan indeed has struggled at the plate thus far.  Machan has just two hits in his first 23 at bats.  He's started seven games behind the plate.

At Triple-A, Stubbs is batting .313, with three home runs, 22 RBI and an .888 OPS.  Stubbs has been the starter at Triple-A.

But what Stubbs has provided the club more than anything else is his leadership.  Stubbs caught Andrew Painter's Triple-A debut on Thursday and is set to catch again tonight (weather permitting) when Painter makes his second start.

I think we have to realize that we have a small sample size of Marchan in 2025 still.  I think he needs some more at bats to get going.  We should note that this is the first time in Marchan's career that he is not playing most days.  He likely will have to adjust to the backup role.

And I think that the Phillies would really like to see Painter's development through with Stubbs behind the plate.  Painter is scheduled to throw 70-75 pitches tonight at Lehigh Valley, and will work towards 90-95 pitches, at which point he will likely head to Philadelphia.

I think that the most important thing, however, is not what the backup catcher does at the plate but behind the plate.  The Phillies are 1-6 when Marchan is behind the plate.  Is a result of that or a coincidence?  I think we need more time to find that out.

Who would you remove from the Phillies rotation to make room for Andrew Painter?
~Gary

This is a question that I really hate to answer.  That is not just because overall the Phillies starters have been performing well, but we never know what is going to happen between now and then.  Painter could pause his ramp up; someone could get hurt.  But let's take a look at the starter numbers for the Phillies:

Zack Wheeler: 4-1, 2.95
Aaron Nola: 1-6, 4.89
Jesus Luzardo: 3-0, 2.11
Cristopher Sanchez: 4-2, 2.92
Ranger Suarez: 1-0, 5.91

Clearly, Nola has had the toughest season thus far.  But I doubt eight games will make the Phillies do anything with Nola, who signed a seven-year contract prior to last season.

After a tough first start (3 2/3 IP, 7 earned runs) Suarez dazzled in his second start this season, with seven scoreless innings, allowing one walk and three hits.

Let us also not forget that only Luzardo has a lower ERA than Taijuan Walker, who had to move to the bullpen.

I would also think that the Phillies cannot move Wheeler, Luzardo, or Sanchez to the bullpen.

So I think that we're looking at Suarez.

Rather than simply making Suarez a reliever, I might consider the "piggyback' appraoch where the Phillies plan to pitch Suarez and Painter on the same day.  Painter starting, going four or five innings, and then turning things over to Suarez.

That would allow the Phillies to have a sixth starter when necessary, such as the time of a rainout creating a doubleheader.

I do not like the idea of a six-man rotation, because that just means that the bullpen is thinner.

Why is Jordan Romano the closer again?
~Andrew

Perhaps the toughest start to their Phillies career this season was Jordan Romano.  After a scoreless Spring, Romano pitched to a 9.00 ERA in March and 12.96 in April.  But he has significantly settled in.

Romano has not allowed a run in his last five appearances, bringing his ERA down to 8.79.

To me the turning point for Romano was his extra inning loss against the New York Mets.  Romano allowed the ghost runner to score along with one other, to take the loss.  But Romano was hitting 98 on the radar gun, a sign that it was a matter of mechanics and not an injury or other physical condition to bring about issues with his performance.

So Romano appeared to have regained the confidence of manager Rob Thomson and is back to his late-inning role.