The Phillies passing on a potential bullpen upgrade after losing Jose Alvarado to a PED suspension is a head-scratcher.

An already struggling Philadelphia Phillies bullpen was dealt a major blow earlier this week when Jose Alvarado was suspended 80

The Phillies have at least contemplated a reunion with a veteran in their quest to replace their top reliever.

The Phillies swept the Pirates over the weekend and Mick Abel tossed a gem in his MLB debut on Sunday, but the club was dealt a major blow when closer José Alvarado was hit with an 80-game PED suspension. The rest of the Phillies bullpen has a 4.86 ERA with eight blown saves in 16 chances, so things could get messy in the late innings. [ B/R]

The Philadelphia Phillies reached out to a former All-Star reliever last week amid the team’s bullpen struggles, even before Jose

Orion Kerkering and Taijuan Walker were cruising comfortably below the radar. Their performances on the mound ranged from remarkable to ordinary to completely unacceptable. The general success of the Phillies,