Dodgers Team News

Evan Phillips Expects to Pitch in the 9th Inning for Dodgers

The Dodgers front office invested in just about every possible angle of the roster this offseason. There were a few areas where the team was set in, but it turned into them committing over $1 billion to add players.

One spot that Los Angeles didn’t touch was the closer position. Despite the team being linked to multiple top names on the market, nothing ever came to fruition.



They will now enter into the season, likely to use a similar approach from last season. Relief pitcher Evan Phillips is best suited to get the brunt of the opportunities, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts declined to name him the closer on Thursday.

Phillips, however, said he hasn’t heard anything to make him believe he won’t be the closer.

“I haven’t heard anything different,” Phillips said. “My plan is always to pitch when my name is called, but I expect that to be in the ninth inning until I’m told differently.”

Per Evan Phillips via The OC Register

One of the strengths that the Dodgers possess should be their bullpen. They were one of the best units in the league at the end of last season, and there is no reason to think they can’t do it again.

They have a talented group of players such as Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, Ryan Brasier, Joe Kelly and J.P. Feyereisen, among others. This unit gives Los Angeles reliability in the late innings, but Phillips also understands that other moves can always be made.

“I have no place to not listen and not hear them out at the very least. Especially with the trade targets you see on TV or hear on the radio or the free agents that have now signed. I’m all about us winning games. Whatever it takes for us to win the World Series, I’m all on board.”

Per Evan Phillips via The OC Register

Last season, Phillips appeared in 62 games for the Dodgers. He posted an ERA of 2.05 over 61.1 innings of work, collecting 24 saves.

Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

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Matt Levine

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, growing up a huge fan of the Dodgers and Lakers. Matt Kemp was his favorite Dodgers player growing up.

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