Starting Pitching
Before getting into the bad news that is the Phillies’ bullpen, let’s address how strong the Phillies’ starters have been. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler have been phenomenal so far this season, pitching for respective 2.05 and 2.81 ERA’s. Nola has struck out 37 batters in 27.1 innings, dominating the competition. Wheeler has allowed 31 baserunners in 25.2 innings but has been effective in getting out of James, keeping the competition to only eight earned runs.
In the three and four spots in the rotation are Jake Arrieta and Zach Eflin. The two have done well, earning respective 4.02 and 3.60 ERA’s, but have only pitched an average of five innings per start. Given how the Phillies’ bullpen is, this could be problematic if it continues, but Joe Girardi is playing it safe with his starters early on. Starting pitchers work up to their maximum workload throughout a regular Spring Training. Given the Phillies’ short Summer Camp and a one-week pause where no practices could take place, Girardi is hesitant to allow his starters to go deeper into games just yet.
Spencer Howard and Vince Velasquez are the remaining two starting pitchers. In a normal season, they would be battling each other for the fifth starter role. In this season, however, there is room for both. With the lack of off days and multiple doubleheaders, a sixth starter is exactly what the Phillies will need to keep the rotation on a normal resting schedule. Both pitchers possess a 7.88 ERA having allowed seven runs in eight innings pitched each. Rookie Spencer Howard continues to develop and adjust at the Major League level. The Phillies would have liked to have let him pitch in AAA Lehigh Valley this season before calling him up, but the Minor League season did not happen, so bringing him up was the only logical choice to continue his development. Velasquez, meanwhile, could be fighting for his job moving forward as he may be one bad start away from joining fellow SP-rejects Adam Morgan and Nick Pivetta in the Phillies’ collective bullpen.
The Bullpen
They’re bad. That’s it. That’s the story!
It would be easy to say that and move on, but that may be a disservice to the bullpen. Heading into their series against the Mets, the bullpen owned an atrocious 10.12 ERA. But, the pen only allowed three earned runs in 9.2 innings throughout the Mets’ series, dropping their collective ERA to 8.77. That ERA is still the worst in the league (second worst belonging to Gabe Kapler’s San Francisco Giants at 6.52), but it shows a drastic improvement. Hector Neris, Tommy Hunter, Deolis Guerra, and Adam Morgan all need to show a continual improving trend, but things are looking a lot better than they did a few days ago for this bullpen.
Factor in that David Robertson and Ranger Suarez are inching towards their return, and this Phillies’ bullpen may at least be able to hold their own soon enough. With two weeks to go until the trade deadline as well, keep an eye out for some potential trades as the Phillies’ try to improve the bullpen even more.
Projections
| Team | GP | Runs Scored | Runs Against | Projected Record |
| Atlanta Braves | 23 | 112 | 97 | 33-27 |
| Miami Marlins | 15 | 69 | 62 | 32-28 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 17 | 90 | 93 | 29-31 |
| Washington Nationals | 19 | 85 | 89 | 28-32 |
| New York Mets | 23 | 99 | 120 | 24-36 |
Given their performance through the first 17 games, the Phillies are projected to go 29-31. However, there are important trends to be aware of. The Marlins are beginning to stumble and the Braves are remaining three games above .500. Meanwhile Rhys Hoskins is heating up and the Phillies’ bullpen is starting to find their footing. Within their next 13 games, the Phillies play their final six of the season against the Braves. If the Phillies can capitalize on both three-game sets and take two of three each time, they will be in position to take over the NL East heeading into what could be a hectic September.
Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire
