PITTSBURGH — When the Pirates traded for left-handed reliever Zach Phillips at the trade deadline, it wasn’t exactly a deal that moved the needle. Phillips was acquired for recently-DFA’d minor-league swingman Kyle Lobstein, wasn’t on the 40-man roster, and frankly, with a 4.45 Triple-A ERA, he didn’t seem like he’d amount to much.
But Phillips has thrived in the Pirates’ bullpen. He was pretty much the lone bright spot in the team’s ugly 12-2 loss to the Chicago Cubs Monday, coming in with the bases loaded and bailing out Chad Kuhl by striking out Anthony Rizzo and getting Wilson Contreras to ground into a double play.