Dave Roberts Declines to Name Evan Phillips Dodgers’ Closer Amid Struggles

Evan Phillips hasn’t exactly lost his job as the closer of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he doesn’t really own the title, either.

On Monday, following another pour outing by Philips on Sunday night, manager Dave Roberts declined to name him the closer of the Dodgers.

“To be quite honest, I’m going to pitch him in leverage, but I don’t know what that looks like,” Roberts said. “Can I see him still finishing games with the right lanes? Absolutely. But is there a chance I pitch him in the seventh inning in leverage? Sure.”

Phillips has emerged as the Dodgers’ closer over the last few seasons due to his innate ability to pitch in any situation, but especially high-leverage ones. After dominant seasons in 2022 and 2023, he’s taken a step back in 2024.

While Phillips had a 1.82 ERA entering July, he’s allowed eight earned runs in 6.1 innings this month, seeing his ERA skyrocket to 3.77. In the month of July, his ERA is an abysmal 11.37.

“Whether you’re a starter, a reliever or a hitter, it ebbs and flows, you go in these slumps, and right now, the command is a little off,” Roberts said of Phillips. “And then there’s been a little bit of a [loss of] confidence. When you go through some struggles, that’s part of it. But we need him to be good. And it’s our job to kind of get him back to being who he is.”

Phillips could still be used in the ninth inning, but Daniel Hudson has appeared to emerge as a better option right now. Hudson has made 42 appearances this season, and has a 1.52 ERA with seven saves. He hasn’t allowed an earned run sine late June.

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