Philadelphia Phillies Make Changes to Their Pitching Unit Ahead of Braves Series

More changes to the Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff has been made as they get set for their massive series against the Atlanta Braves.

Jul 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Yunior Marte (43) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the eighth inning at Target Field / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, the Philadelphia Phillies begin their massive four-game series against the Atlanta Braves that could virtually lock up the division in their favor, or make the final stretch of the regular season sweaty when it comes to winning the NL East for the first time since 2011.

Entering Game 1, the Phillies hold a five game advantage over their archrivals.

A sweep would be immaculate, a split would be safe, but a reverse sweep would be devastating.

With that in mind, Philadelphia made some changes to their pitching staff that has been the source of major scrutiny in recent weeks during this prolonged stretch post-All Star break that's been filled with struggles.

Unfortunately for many Phillies fans, it's not the move many were hoping to see happen.

Prior to tonight’s game against the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies recalled RHP Yunior Marte from Lehigh Valley (AAA). To make room for him on the 26-man roster, RHP Michael Mercado was optioned to Lehigh Valley.

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 29, 2024

As can be gathered by their announcement, Philadelphia has recalled reliever Yunior Marte from Triple-A and sent down top prospect Michael Mercado, which keeps the struggling Taijuan Walker on the roster.

Their insistence to keep the veteran starter in the mix continues to be head-scratching despite his historically bad performance on Wednesday.

When it comes to this move itself, the Phillies are giving Marte another opportunity in the Majors after he has had his own issues this season.

In 22 appearances, the right-hander has given up 19 earned runs in 24 innings pitched, good for a 7.13 ERA that is over two runs higher than what he did during 2023.

Acquired in a trade with the San Francisco Giants ahead of last year, Marte has had a hard time finding the strike zone during his time in Philadelphia, walking 31 batters in 63.1 total innings that puts his WHIP at a staggering 1.737.

This comes on the heels of the announcement that Dylan Covey had been activated off the 60-day injured list, but because he has been out for so long, they clearly want him to keep pitching in the minors before potentially turning to him this season.

Mercado continues to show he's not quite ready to face Major League hitters, having given up 16 earned runs and nine homers in 13 innings of work during his five career appearances.

Hopefully Marte has found something down at the Triple-A level he can bring with him to this Phillies stint since his last three outings have seen him pitch three scoreless innings where he allowed only one hit with one walk and a strikeout.