There wasn't an inning Orion Kerkering needed more than Sunday.

The Phillies were playing in a meaningless regular-season finale, the final game before the postseason. They couldn't advance past the No. 2 seed, getting a week off before their quest for a World Series begins in the NLDS. In essence, an extra-inning game in Game 162 when seeding was sealed didn't mean much.

For Kerkering, it did.

Entering the game in the 10th inning of a tie ballgame with a runner on second was enough confidence the Phillies showed in their young reliever. Kerkering rewarded the Phillies for their confidence.

The inherited runner on second didn't score. Kerkering stuck out the side, two punch outs with his sweeper and the other with his fastball. That was the confidence boost he needed after a long few weeks of grinding through his struggles on the mound.

"One of the better, cleaner outings recently," Kerkering said. "That was one of the first 1-2-3 innings [I had] in a while. Good confidence [for me] in just trying to establish the strike zone early and attack guys from the get-go."

The second half of the season was not kind to Kerkering. He had a 4.07 ERA in 28 games after the All-Star Break. He struck out 31 batters and walked eight, but gave up four home runs and allowed 11 earned runs in 24 1/3 innings pitched. In the first half of the year, Kerkering had a 2.78 ERA in 41 games, allowing just 11 earned runs while striking out 34 and walking 19.

Kerkering was essentially unhittable in May and June, allowing just two earned runs in 24 appearances. He had a 0.85 ERA and was arguably the Phillies' best reliever.

Sunday's performance looked like the version of Kerkering the Phillies saw in May and June, the one the Phillies had "get hot" in the bullpen nearly every game when they needed him. Enough to tire his arm out as he was learning to get up and throw 90-100 times a season, which he never experienced in his career.

The Phillies' usage of Kerkering started to wane. Perhaps that was by design, with a bullpen that acquired David Robertson and Jhoan Duran, but also Kerkering's confidence was beginning to shrink. The sweeper wasn't as effective, and he was starting to get hit around, especially after he would come in with runners on base.

Things started to go south, as a 24-year-old who once was the team's most trusted reliever wasn't even pitching in big innings. It was a blow for a pitcher who has been trending upward since he rose from Single-A Clearwater to the majors just two seasons ago.

"There's a lot more ups and downs," Kerkering said with a smile. "But you have to adapt as much as you can. Guys have been in the league for so long, and analytics have gotten better. You always have to keep adapting. You can't keep doing the same thing over and over again."

One of the benefits of having a veteran-laden club is the experience across the roster. Kerkering has been getting tips from David Robertson on increasing that confidence, learning to compete every time he is on the mound, no matter the stuff that you have that day. 

"I just don't want him to lose any confidence," Robertson said. "Being a reliever and throwing high-leverage innings at the back end, coming in with runners on base and dealing with those God-awful situations where you get your butt kicked all the time. You can't get down on yourself and get discouraged about it. You just have to put that outing away and show up the next day and be ready to go. The stuff's there, everything he does is right. It's just a matter of having good results between the lines when you can have good results. Not every time you're going to."

Sunday's outing was a reminder of what Kerkering can bring to this team come October. The Phillies are set at closer with Duran, but need right-handers to get the big outs in the late innings or high-leverage situations. This is where Kerkering comes in, as his confidence could be at its highest heading into the postseason.

"Keep doing what he's been doing," Robertson said. "The last few outings he's been electric, so hopefully he can continue to build off that and take it right into the postseason."

If this version of Kerkering the Phillies saw Sunday shows up in the NLDS, teams are going to have a hard time coming back against them. Kerkering is one of the keys to the World Series title, especially since the trust meter amongst the coaching staff appears to be back.

The Phillies are going to need Kerkering come Saturday, and he knows it. He's got the right mindset now.

"Keep getting better. See what you got that day," Kerkering said. "And keep attacking."