Phillips auditioning for ’17 bullpen role

PITTSBURGH — Zach Phillips hadn’t pitched in the Majors since 2013 when the Pirates called him up in Philadelphia two weeks ago. But the Bucs didn’t hesitate to throw him into their bullpen — or into the fire.

In Monday night’s 12-2 loss to the Cubs, the 30-year-old lefty reliever entered the game with nobody out and the bases loaded in the fourth inning. He was tasked with facing Anthony Rizzo, one of the Cubs’ two National League Most Valuable Player Award candidates, and struck him out on four pitches, burying a slider below the strike zone for the final whiff.

Four pitches later, Willson Contreras bounced a two-seamer into an inning-ending double play, and Phillips was out of the inning unscathed. It was only slightly more intimidating than his assignment on Sept. 23, when he struck out Nats slugger Bryce Harper with the bases loaded.

“I just look at it as another hitter,” Phillips said of his newfound role as a high-leverage fireman. “I’ve done that before in the Minor Leagues quite a bit. You’ve got to focus on getting that first guy out and then going from there, one batter a time.”

Could …

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