Phillies: Pitchers auditioning to stay

Considerations:

When you have a long man like Hutchison with limitations inning-wise, he’s only going to function as a middle reliever. And he’ll probably be the next to relinquish his bullpen slot, Double D.

Of course, Hutchison’s usage has demonstrated the red pinstripes might not need a long man. And while fans and writers expect Leiter to return after his DL stint, the front office may decide their five-man staff doesn’t give a long reliever enough opportunities to be worthwhile.

During the last game with the Braves, Double D, Kapler brought in Milner to face two left-side batters, but the portsider didn’t get the job done. And the skipper didn’t want to use another reliever for those two eighth-frame outs: Milner’s role was to get two outs, and he eventually did. The deciding factor?

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Arano hasn’t allowed a run, a hit or a walk during his 11 performances. And fireballer Rios has only yielded one run (earned) in his eight outings. Ergo, Hutchison may not have a spot if the higher-ups prefer Rios due to Kapler’s pen management. On the other hand, Neshek might not finish his rehab until late April.

As for Tommy Hunter, Double D, he fired a clean inning with two punch outs for the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils on April 20 and is ready to return. Apparently, Klentak did not wait for consecutive appearances because Hunter is successful against left-handed hitters: A piece of after-the-fact information strikes again.