While the Philadelphia Phillies have more than 130 games remaining on their schedule, their early struggles are generating a lot of panic in Philadelphia. John Kincade, a co-host of Kincade and Salciunas on Philadelphia’s 97.5, is among those concerned by the team’s struggles.
The Phillies lost their fourth straight game on Wednesday and were on the wrong side of a three-game sweep against the New York Mets. But on the surface, things could be worse. Philadelphia sits at 13-12 overall on the young season. But even before Wednesday’s game, Kincade’s level of concern was high.
“I’m more pissed about what went on all winter long that many people tried to tell me was perfectly fine,” he said. “You know what’s wrong with this baseball team. You know it and you knew it, and you go, ‘I still believe they’re good enough to pile up a lot of regular season wins.’ But this bullpen is far worse – far worse – than I expected them to be. I expected it to be bad, I thought it was reckless, and I called out the lackadaisical approach to this bullpen letting two guys go out the door this winter, but I never expected it to be this garbage. It’s garbage and it’s the worst in baseball.”
“I’m more pissed about what went on all winter long that many people tried to tell me was perfectly fine. You know what’s wrong with this baseball team. You know it and you knew it, and you go, ‘I still believe they’re good enough to pile up a lot of regular season wins.’
But… pic.twitter.com/KB0iEzByvb
— 97.5 The Fanatic (@975TheFanatic) April 23, 2025
This is similar to the frustration and concern we’ve heard on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s postgame show after recent losses.
It is easy to say that things are going OK for the team, despite its recent struggles. Despite the four-game losing streak, the Phillies still have a winning record. And one would be hard pressed to find an MLB team that won’t have a four-game losing streak or get swept in a series at any point of the year. It’s a 162-game season; stuff like that happens.
That said, a bad bullpen is a particularly frustrating thing to deal with. Games that could — and in some cases, should — be wins turn into losses. When that happens, it’s easy for frustration to mount.
If there’s a saving grace, it’s that bullpen help can be added as the season goes along. Even bad teams frequently have a good reliever or two available on the trade market and since relievers (especially non-closers) are rarely considered foundational pieces for rebuilding teams, adding bullpen help via in-season trades is usually doable.
That said, if the bullpen continues to struggle and the Phillies don’t quickly right the ship, the frustration from Philadelphia will rapidly increase as we get deeper into the season.
