Hunting for Relief

When the Phillies signed Tommy Hunter over the winter, they envisioned a veteran shutdown reliever. I mean, that's not too much to ask when you give a guy $18 million over 2 years.

Hunter, 32, had ERAs below 3.00 in his last 2 seasons with the Orioles and Rays. His career ERA is 4.15 with a WHIP of 1.256.

It hasn't gone as planned. After starting the season on the disabled list, Hunter has allowed runs in 14 of his 41 appearances, including last night, when he took the loss against the Reds. Hunter has allowed 2 runs 6 times this season. For the season, Hunter's WHIP is 1.391, his highest since 2012, and his ERA sits at 4.66, again his highest since 2012. The opposition is hitting is hitting .293 against him with a .795 OPS.

He's actually pitching better this month than in June. In June, he appeared in 13 games with a 5.25 ERA. In July, he's been in 12 games with a 3.86 ERA. He's not being overused; he seldom appears in back-to-back games. He's only pitched 36.2 innings this season.

It's time to use him in lower-pressure situations and hope his confidence returns. Because in the middle of a pennant race, you can't afford to get these kinds of results.