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Phillies Notebook: Phillippe Aumont shows promise as a late-inning reliever

Young pitcher has been solid at keeping opponents off the scoreboard so far this season.

Phillippe Aumont wants to be the guy who takes the ball from the starting pitcher and hands it to a back-end reliever. (Matt Slocum/AP file photo)
Phillippe Aumont wants to be the guy who takes the ball from the starting pitcher and hands it to a back-end reliever. (Matt Slocum/AP file photo)Read more

CINCINNATI - In the first 2 weeks of the season, one of the problem spots on the Phillies' roster has been locating a capable and consistent arm to take the ball from the starting pitcher and hand it to a back-end reliever with the scoreboard unscathed.

Phillippe Aumont wants to be that guy. In the rookie reliever's first four appearances of 2013, he has pitched in the eighth inning or later. Although three of those games were losses, including Saturday in Miami when he was charged with the loss, Aumont has had encouraging results.

Of the 17 batters he's faced, Aumont has recorded four strikeouts and seven ground balls.

"The other night, he walked a guy, he walked [Placido] Polanco to lead off the inning, and that kind of got him in a hole," manager Charlie Manuel said, referring to the ninth inning of Saturday's game. "But if you go back and look, he struck a guy out and got all ground balls. We just happened to make some mistakes and they capitalized on them."

A ground ball that was ruled a hit - but could have easily been called an error on Chase Utley - scored the the game-ending run with Aumont on the mound.

"Once he got in the jam the other night, he was the one that I chose to leave out there," Manuel said. "I could've made a move there, but I like his stuff and I like the chance of his hard sinker and the chance he had to strike the guy out. That's the biggest reason I left him out there. He got some big ground balls. He also got a big strikeout on [Austin] Kearns."

After saving 15 games at Triple A Lehigh Valley last season, Aumont was used in a similar, late-inning role in his first taste of the big leagues in September. He entered in the eighth inning or later in 16 of his 18 games and never came in before the seventh.

Although the Phils have three veteran arms in the back of the 'pen in Jonathan Papelbon, Mike Adams and Antonio Bastardo, and could use an effective arm in the middle of the bullpen, Manuel likes Aumont late in games.

"Because his fastball, his sinker and his stuff, he's more apt to strike somebody out, and he's also a ground-ball pitcher," Manuel said. "Aumont, he just needs to get some experience and feel for the game and everything, and I think he's got a chance - his talent speaks for itself - he's got a chance to be real good."

Since the Phillies lost 16 games when they held leads in the seventh inning or later in 2012, Aumont obviously adds value to the back end of the bullpen.

Sit, Utley, sit

Freddy Galvis made his third straight start Monday night against the Reds. And for the third straight day, he was in a different infield position - Galvis started at second in place of Utley. It was Utley's first game out of the starting lineup after 12 straight to open the season.

"I said I was going to watch him and pick times to sit him," Manuel said.

But Manuel picked a good time to insert him into the game as a pinch-hitter; Utley hit a two-run homer in the eighth to tie the game.

Utley has been one of the Phillies' most productive hitters in the first 2 weeks of the season. Utley also has gone 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts.

"I've been very happy with the way he's been playing and running," Manuel said. "The way he's running around and stuff, that tells me he feels real good and is in real good shape."