When Mick Abel outdueled Paul Skenes in his major league debut, he got the attention of Phillies fans. The possibilities felt endless for the Phillies with Abel around and Andrew Painter not far away in Triple-A.
While he was quickly optioned back to the minors, Able impressed enough to get another chance against the Toronto Blue Jays. A much tougher opponent, the Blue Jays were 11th in baseball in team OPS (.722) entering Wednesday.
Abel pitched on just four days’ rest for only the second or third time in his pro career. The results were, once again, promising.
The Good
Mick Abel was never going to be pumping 99 MPH on the first pitch of the game. Instead, he sat around 95-96 throughout most of the game, topping out at 97.4 MPH. He located the fastball with confidence and decent control.
That can be said about most of his repertoire. His sinker was spotted at times for big strikes/outs. His secondary pitches were fine as well. He threw 52 of his 78 pitches for strikes and didn’t allow a walk for a 2nd start. He lost a bit of control in the 6th inning as he ran out of gas while on short rest. He threw only 5/12 pitches for strikes that inning.
Through five innings, Abel only allowed one hit, a single to Andrés Giménez. He did enough for his prospect stock to perk back to pre-2024 levels.
The young right-hander made Major League Baseball history with the completion of his second start. Abel is the first MLB pitcher to throw 5 innings, allow 0 walks, and allow 1 earned run or less in each of his first 2 career starts.
The Concerns
For the second start in a row, Mick Abel left pitches in the zone that could’ve led to trouble. Besides his 4-seam fastball, Abel’s pitches were getting hit hard. The Blue Jays averaged a 99.7 MPH exit velocity against his curveball, 101.7 MPH against his slider, and 102.1 MPH against his sinker.
While they didn’t find holes, the Blue Jays showed that Abel isn’t a star just yet. He generated just five whiffs, four on his fastball and one on his curveball. After tying the Phillies’ record for strikeouts in an MLB debut, he recorded just two in his 2nd start.
Abel got some help from Lady Luck at times. Four of the balls put in play had an expected batting average over .610, yet went for outs. While he was throwing strikes, Abel needed to work on his location, especially on his offspeed offerings.
The Disappointing
It cannot be said that Mick Abel disappointed in his second MLB start. The same can’t be said about the Phillies’ offense. They dropped a winnable 2-1 that the Blue Jays walked off on an Alejandro Kirk liner off the wall. Their solo run came on a Castellanos homer in the 2nd inning.
The Phillies had a chance to add on in the 5th inning. After a walk by Max Kepler, a single by JT Realmuto, and another walk by Brandon Marsh, the Phillies had loaded the bases with one out. Bryson Stott popped up, and Trea Turner flew out to end the inning.
After that opportunity, the Phillies registered just one hit the rest of the game. Alec Bohm singled against Jeff Hoffman in the 9th inning. To top it off, JT Realmuto left the game after taking a foul ball to the groin. He’ll be evaluated, but Realmuto was already unlikely to play in the finale on Thursday.
Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
