The Phillies have made a change in the ninth inning and will use veteran right-hander Joaquin Benoit to close out games “for the time being,” manager Pete Mackanin told reporters today (Twitter link via Ryan Lawrence of PhillyVoice.com).
The change comes on the heels of a dreadful run for 2016 closer Jeanmar Gomez, who figures to slide into a lower-leverage role as he looks to bounce back. Dating back to last year’s All-Star break, Gomez has surrendered 30 runs on 47 hits and 13 walks in 30 innings of work.