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Edubray Ramos, one year into big-league career, searches for answers

The Phillies could have demoted Ramos, 24, after a stretch in which he faced eight batters and seven of them scored. They did not.

Edubray Ramos had a 189.00 ERA in three outings in a four-day span.
Edubray Ramos had a 189.00 ERA in three outings in a four-day span.Read moreELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Staff Photographer

PHOENIX — Edubray Ramos has spent exactly one year in the majors, a year that began with his manager labeling the Venezuelan reliever as "fearless" and ended with three atrocious appearances. The Phillies could have demoted Ramos, 24, after a stretch in which he faced eight batters and seven of them scored. They did not.

So Ramos marked the anniversary of his big-league promotion with some introspection. He called Rafael Chaves, the Phillies' minor-league pitching coordinator and a confidant, for guidance.

"Keep your head up," Ramos said Chaves told him. "We have faith in you. We know you're good. You have the talent to be here, so just forget about it."

The Phillies are far from contention, and they have chosen the path of developing some players while in the majors. Ramos was not a finished product when he graduated last June. But the initial impressions were so good that he stuck.

He continues to stick because the Phillies believe in his stuff. He has the highest strikeout rate (26.2 percent) among their relievers. That comes with the highest walk rate (14.2 percent) in the bullpen. He is prone to moments in which he lacks focus or rides too much emotion. For the last three outings, he resembled a pitcher with no confidence.

Six of the Phillies' 48 losses, including three in the last week, were charged to Ramos. His ERA ballooned to 5.10 from 3.03. He walked three of the eight batters he faced, committed a balk and lobbed a wild pickoff to first base. He was lost.

He is still here.

"The only way for him to come out of it is to get him back out there," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "Just keep pitching. There's no other way to get around it. Hopefully I can get him in a game where he can have a good inning and regain some confidence. Because his confidence is down. I don't know why he went into that funk he did, but it happens."

Ramos insisted that he maintained his confidence through both good and bad times, but he did not downplay it being a factor in his recent problems.

"Confidence is everything," Ramos said, through a team interpreter. "To be honest with you, confidence is what it's all about. I don't think it's one of the most important things. I think it's the most important thing. I still believe in myself. I have confidence in myself. I know I can do the job. I'm just going to keep working hard."

Ramos, three appearances into his big-league career, was dubbed by Mackanin as a potential closer. He reached the majors with just 186 innings in the minors. He had been released by St. Louis as a teenager, cleaned floors in his native country and joined the Phillies organization without a signing bonus.

He has experienced depths lower than his current strife.

"Situations like this pretty much teach you how to be better," Ramos said. "It's not only you learn from this, but it makes you stronger, too."

This season, he has too often dug an immediate hole. The first batters to face Ramos in his 33 games were 11 for 30 (.367) with three walks. A 189.00 ERA in three games over a four-day span will humble anyone.

"I've been trying to deal with it in a professional way," Ramos said. "I know the big leagues is 162 games. I cannot just focus on one bad week that I had. I know what I'm capable of. I believe in my talent. It's just a work in progress."

Extra bases

Howie Kendrick was scratched from the Phillies lineup Friday because of left hamstring tightness. There was no immediate indication of how severe it was. … Mackanin said he spoke with veteran reliever Pat Neshek after two straight days of conflicting messages about his availability. Both manager and pitcher are wary of overuse and ruining what, so far, has been a beneficial situation. "We're good," Mackanin said. "He and I are good. We understand each other. I'd like to just let this thing go away. If there was some miscommunication, I'll put it on me." … Ben Lively will start Saturday opposite Diamondbacks lefty Robbie Ray, who encountered trouble against the Phillies last weekend.