Bullpen is a key for Phillies

The Phillies' weekend sweep of the Miami Marlins had a lot of sponsors, with the old double-play combination of Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley contributing late-game, long-ball donations to the final two victories.

It was enough to make you flash back to the glory days at Citizens Bank Park when it was filled to the brim and the runs and wins just kept on coming. What a lot of people forget about the greatest of those days is how big of a role the bullpen played when the franchise won its second World Series.

Sure, they remember Mr. Perfect - Brad Lidge - but they forget about the overall depth, which allowed the Phillies to post the lowest bullpen earned run average in the National League that season. It was needed because the rotation was lacking in a lot of ways.

Two weeks into this season, it's still impossible to say where the 2014 Phillies are headed. They split six games on the road against Texas and Chicago, got swept in their first home series by a white-hot Milwaukee team, and rebounded with the sweep of the Marlins that was completed by Sunday's 4-3 victory.

Six up, six down. Some good, some bad. Half full, half empty.

We do know this for sure after just a dozen games: This is going to be a very different kind of season for the bullpen and it needs to be one of the team's strengths if the Phillies are going to exceed expectations.

It's going to be different because manager Ryne Sandberg will be waving in his relievers a lot more often than his predecessor, Charlie Manuel, did in recent years. From 2010 through 2012, when starting pitching ruled, the Phillies' relievers received less work than any other bullpen in baseball.

The workload increased some last season, but the Phillies' bullpen still ranked 22d in baseball and 11th in the National League in innings pitched. Through the first 12 games this season, the Phillies' bullpen ranked seventh in the league and ninth in baseball in innings pitched per game.

More work is fine, of course, provided that the bullpen delivers, which it did during the sweep of the Marlins. After being knocked around by the Brewers, the relief corps rebounded by allowing just three runs on seven hits in 122/3 innings against the Marlins. The trio of B.J. Rosenberg, Antonio Bastardo, and Jonathan Papelbon combined for three perfect innings Sunday to finish off the series.

"I think at some point in every guy's career, a wave of confidence comes," Papelbon said after picking up his second save of the weekend and third of the season. "And I think for a lot of the guys in this bullpen, this series was a bit of that wave . . . and hopefully a lot of us down there will be able to take that and run with it."

In theory, the bullpen should be about to get stronger with the return of veteran Mike Adams, who, when healthy, is one of the best setup men in baseball. The workload should also decrease some for the relievers once Cole Hamels returns from the disabled list. Regardless, there is no more time for the younger arms to develop in the big leagues. Get outs or get out was the not-so-subtle message sent by the recent demotions of Brad Lincoln and Justin De Fratus.

"I think all these guys know that already," Papelbon said. "I think everyone in the bullpen realizes what's at stake, and I think they realize this year is going to be a big year where there is not much room for error. I think a lot of guys know that's the challenge and they accept that and like it. That's what I like about our staff down there more than anything."

Papelbon, of course, has to be the leader and is the guy who has the lowest margin for error. He already cost the Phillies a victory with a blown save in Texas, but he has rebounded to allow just one hit and two base runners in his last four games.

"I think maybe me blowing that first save opportunity of the year kind of shows these guys that, 'Hey, nothing is going to come easy and we have to bounce back,' " Papelbon said. "Hopefully I can show that without speaking, but by my own actions."

As an entity, the bullpen bounced back from the Brewers' bashing and helped sponsor a weekend sweep of the Marlins.

"Put something in front of us, whether it's having to pick up extra innings in the first month of the season, or whatever it may be, and we'll face it," Papelbon said. "We're going to be faced with a lot of challenges throughout the rest of the season and I like our group and the way we're going to face those challenges."

We don't know much about the Phillies after a dozen games, but we do know that the bullpen is going to play a huge role in whichever direction this team is headed.

@brookob