The off day after being swept by the Miami Marlins was supposed to help the Philadelphia Phillies regroup and come back stronger. Instead, they extended their losing streak to four games on Friday. After the bullpen blew leads in consecutive games, reliever Orion Kerkering, who is earning $805K this season, did not mince words while speaking to reporters after the game.

“It pisses me the [expletive] off,” Kerkering expressed, per NBC Sports Philadelphia on X. “It’s frustrating because you can’t give this team a chance to win, almost, it feels like. It pisses me off a lot. I just gotta figure it out.”

Against the Baltimore Orioles, Andrew Painter recorded his first quality start after his return from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he had been since mid-June. After allowing a two-run homer to Pete Alonso in the first inning, Painter recovered quickly. The rookie pitcher did not allow a run for the rest of his outing. When the interim manager Don Mattingly pulled Painter after 6.0 innings, the Phillies were leading 4-2.

However, the bullpen failed to protect Painter’s strong start, blowing the 2-run lead. The damage started with Kerkering in the seventh. The RHP allowed a leadoff single to Holliday and walked Cowser to set things off. Coming to pinch-hit, Christian Encarnacion-Strand launched a two-RBI double, which ate up the lead and tied the score at 4-4.

Following his outing, the 25-year-old spoke about his struggles with command, which have plagued Kerkering all season. Posting a 3.43 ERA, he has allowed 25 walks in 42.0 innings pitched. On Friday, though, he allowed only 1 walk.

“The hits will come, the walks you can control,” Kerkering added. “It’s just one of those things that it’s been a struggle this year. It just pisses me off that I keep walking guys.”

Kerkering was pulled midway, as Tim Mayza inherited the bottom of the seventh. However, Mayza allowed a triple to Gunnar Henderson as Encarnacion-Strand and Alonso scored to cement the Orioles’ 6-4 win.

Friday marked the second consecutive game in which the Phillies blew a lead. It was also their 10th loss in July in a game they had led. In the series finale against the Marlins, the bullpen failed to protect a six-run lead and ultimately lost 8-6. After dropping the series opener to the Orioles, interim manager Don Mattingly addressed the bullpen’s struggles.

“Well, it hasn’t been good lately,” the 65-year-old said, per Phillies Nation. “It’s really been pretty good up until this point. This too shall pass.”

The inconsistency of the Phillies’ bullpen is starting to become a liability for the team. Following Friday’s loss, the Phillies dropped to 57-53 and are currently holding the third NL Wild Card spot. With the San Diego Padres just one game behind them, Philadelphia needs to start winning games soon.