Sometimes, baseball moves are difficult to figure out.

Bailey Falter had been the most reliable of starters for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs this season, posting a 2-0 record with a 1.91 ERA and a WHIP of just 1.02 coming into his scheduled start last Thursday night.

Suddenly, plans changed, and Falter was replaced by Ramon Rosso, with Falter finding himself sitting in the bullpen awaiting a chance to pitch.

Falter entered the game with two outs in the third inning and finished the inning, before he threw another, allowing just a walk against five batters.

What Falter was unaware of was that the Phillies had concocted a plan to put him – at least temporarily – into a different role and not with Lehigh Valley.

The Phillies decided to bring Falter back to the majors and piggyback him with young pitching prosect Spencer Howard, who has struggled to pitch deep into games with the big-league club. The 24-year-old left-hander got his chance Monday night in Los Angeles and threw three shutout innings, allowing just one hit and recording a strikeout.

While Falter may have been a little miffed by the move, IronPigs pitching coach Aaron Fultz saw what the Phillies were thinking, and saw a bright side to the move for Falter if he would be able to adjust to the change that goes with pitching out of the bullpen rather than starting.

“It gives him versatility,” Fultz said. “He’s a creature of habit, and he’s going to need to adapt. Coming on in relief is a different animal.”

For now, it appears that Falter will stick in his role with the Phillies as Howard learns to economize his pitches and maintain consistent velocity to pitch deeper into games at the major league level. Meanwhile, Falter will continue to adapt to a role that he hasn’t pitched out of since he made his professional debut back in 2015 when he came in as a reliever.

Falter had made 80 minor league starts since that first game, and just two relief appearances, including Thursday night’s change in plans. His only other relief outing was with the Phillies in Colorado earlier this season, when he allowed two earned runs in two innings of work. After that outing, the Phillies sent him to Lehigh Valley to stretch his arm out and let him resume his work as a starter.

One of the reasons the Phillies made the move was because the Dodgers lineup is filled with left-handed hitters, giving Falter a bit of an advantage. They also could use another lefty in the bullpen long-term, giving Falter the opportunity to stick with the team for a while if he can successfully adjust to the role.

MEDICAL UPDATE ... Didi Gregorius felt some stiffness and pain in his sore elbow, and had his rehab assignment with Lehigh Valley halted for a check-up in Philadelphia. There was no concern about the pain, which subsided, and he rejoined the Pigs Tuesday night for a series in Worcester ... Matt Moore threw a season-high 84 pitches in his fourth rehab start with the Phillies on Sunday, but struggled with his command in five innings of work in which he allowed three earned runs on six hits and three walks ... Adam Haseley is officially back from his stint on the Temporarily Inactive List where he was placed due to an undisclosed issue. The Phillies activated him and assigned him to Lehigh Valley.

EXPERIENCED LINEUP ... Sunday’s starting lineup for Lehigh Valley consisted of six players – Scott Kingery, Nick Maton, Mickey Moniak, Adam Haseley, Rafael Marchan and Matt Moore – who have logged time with the Phillies this season. The lineup also had former major leaguers Ruben Tejada and Ryan Cordell, leaving just Darick Hall as the only player in the starting lineup without at least some major league experience.

KEEP AN EYE ON ... Enyel De Los Santos was optioned back to the IronPigs after a short stint with the Phillies. The 25-year-old right-hander has seen a bump in his velocity this season, and could likely provide some assistance from the bullpen for the Phillies at some point. In seven appearances covering 9 2/3 innings with Lehigh Valley, De Los Santos has allowed just two hits and four walks, while striking out 17 and posting a 2.79 ERA ... J.D. Hammer has always had the velocity, but struggled with control. Hammer is still walking too many hitters – 5.5 per nine innings – but is throwing more strikes and avoiding the barrel of bats. Hammer has 21 strikeouts in 13 innings, with a 0.69 ERA in 11 appearances.