The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to having their bullpen back to full strength soon.
In the midst of a tough stretch of games, playing against the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves to round out the month of August, the Phillies were missing one of their key bullpen arms. They did well to win three of their first five games while managing their short bullpen.
On Sunday, that bullpen will look more like it usually does as the Phillies welcome back their lefty fireballer.
José Alvarado, a high-leverage lefty who has been a stalwart of the Philadelphia bullpen for the past four seasons, had reportedly been in Venezuela attending to a personal matter. He was placed on the restricted list on Monday.
According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Alvarado is expected to return from the restricted list on Sunday. Gelb reported that Alvarado said he was dealing with a family-related issue, and "appreciated the many messages of report he received."
There will be no better time to get Alvarado back than the final matchup of the season series against the rival Braves. Philadelphia cannot win the head-to-head matchup, which Atlanta led 7-4 entering Saturday, but maintains a five-game lead over the Braves in the division.
Alvarado, 29, is having a down year by his standards, posting a 4.30 ERA in 56 games. However, he does have 52 strikeouts in 52.1 innings and has shown himself to be highly effective in the postseason.
Alvarado owns a 3.43 career postseason ERA, including a 1.20 mark in the last two NLCS with Philadelphia. If the Phillies can get their lefty fireballer back to full speed by October, they'll have one more dynamic weapon in their already-fearsome bullpen.
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