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Donnellon: The Phillies' next era begins Thursday, or so we thought

Tomorrow is Sept.1, the unofficial start of the Phillies' next era.

Or so we thought.

Remember the excitement this spring? Earlier this summer? The names came at us like water from a released dam, each seeming to offer a block of concrete to the much-awaited rebuild.

Nick Williams will be like a caged tiger by the time he gets up here.

And the starting staff – well there won't be enough spots for all that talent. Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff, Jeremy Hellickson, Zach Eflin, and that kid down on the farm stringing together all those scoreless innings – why he might be the best of them all!

Nola's been shut down of course. Eflin too, and is in the process of having both of his perennially sore knees surgically repaired. After a promising and sometimes dominating start of what has become his first full Major League season, Velasquez has seen his earned run average balloon by nearly a run during the month of August, indicative perhaps of a tired arm.

The kid down on the farm, International League Pitcher of the Year Jake Thompson? He finally resembled that pitcher after a bumpy first inning the other night. Until then, it hadn't been pretty.

Mark Appel, a 2013 first-round pick obtained from Houston whom the Phillies hoped would at least arc upward in a new uniform, underwent elbow surgery after being shut down in late June, his future as muddled as the day he arrived here.

Even beyond his aforementioned pitching peers, he's hardly alone. On the cusp of a call-up after missing two months with an oblique injury, Roman Quinn was konked on the head by a pick-off throw and suffered a concussion, leaving his September status uncertain, at best. Since being selected with the 66th overall pick in the 2011 draft, the speedy outfielder has suffered through a series of injuries that have limited his playing time, at-bats, and anticipated progress.

And yet he's still only 23.

And Williams? His strikeout bug is back, his average for the month somewhere under .200. His September call-up – once a foregone conclusion – would seem to be in jeopardy.

For sure there have been some silver linings. Jeanmar Gomez. Odubel Herrera has proven to be an everyday player, despite his recent offensive lag. Maikel Franco looks to be a mainstay. Tommy Joseph finally exorcized his injury demons to post a solid offensive season that suggests better things. And Cameron Rupp's surprising offense, utilitarian catching skills and above all, durability, should at least buy time for the Phillies to figure out how to develop Andrew Knapp and Jorge Alfaro.

But do we know much more about Aaron Altherr's future than we did in the spring? No. Do we have any better feel for the makeup and potential of the 2017 starting staff? Not really. Are we likely to lift much of the fog surrounding the Phillies' future during the last month of a season that began with such hope and anticipation?

Again, no. The final month now feels a lot like the final month of the last couple of seasons. Too little givens, too many uncertainties, the most prominent a timeline leading to winning baseball.

That huge release of air you just heard?

It's just us.

Again.