Pitching dominance goes a long way, but Beachy/Hanson/Delgado loom
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Pitching dominance goes a long way, but Beachy/Hanson/Delgado loom
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
While the Phillies finished their 10-game west coast trip with a much-needed dose of offense, their pitching staff is still the reason they will head back to Citizens Bank Park within one game of .500.
Heading into Wednesday's 7-2 victory over the Diamondbacks, Phillies starters had pitched at least seven innings in half of their 18 games, tied with Texas and Oakland for the most in the majors. Combined, the rotation had logged 117 innings (an average of more than 6 per start) with a 2.84 ERA, 7.3 K/9, 1.9 BB/9 and 0.8 HR/9. Remove Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick from the equation and the Phillies' top four starters were averaging nearly seven innings per start with a 2.06 ERA.
None of that changed in the series finale at Chase Field, as Cole Hamels allowed a leadoff double and then retired 18 consecutive batters en route to a dominant eight-inning performance. Give some credit to the bullpen, too. The new set-up/closer combination of Chad Qualls and Jonathan Papelbon has combined to allow just two runs in 15 innings of work.
The question now is whether the offense can find enough consistency for the Phillies to string together a sizable winning streak. This year more than any since 2008, it is imperative that they have success against the National League's weaker teams: in particularly, the National League's weaker pitching staffs. One of those teams, and staffs, will be in town this weekend as the Cubs visit Citizens Bank Park for a four-game series.
The Phillies need all of the breathing room they can get as they prepare for a two month stretch that should offer Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro Jr. a good look at whether the current construction of the club can expect to compete in the postseason. From May 1 until the start of the All-Star Break, 38 of the Phillies' 64 games will come against teams who entered yesterday with winning records. And that doesn't include the Red Sox or Marlins, who they will face nine times (although it does include early-season surprises Baltimore and the Mets.
After the Cubs comes a three-game series against the resurgent Braves -- projected starters for Atlanta are Brandon Beachy, Tommy Hanson and Randall Delgado -- followed by a three-game series against the NL East-leading Nationals.
Remember, April was supposed to be the easy part of the Phillies' schedule. Finishing the month strong is crucial given the challenges that lie ahead.
Comment removed.
they will be fine. I would rather them have to fight it out this year than cruise to another NL East title. Just get in the tournament and be hot once October hits— TheRomanMeatHelmet- Nationals are on a Cinderella ride right now and until the opposing teams find the achilles heel of their pitching staff, its gonna be a long f....g season. Gio Gonzalez was the icing on the cake and I knew that Rizzo pulled a coup when he landed him (Amaro was considering him as well but blew it of course). Since he's from the American League, figure that its going to take two go-arounds for other NL clubs to figure him out at minimum. So unless they crack the other so called "aces" of the Nats, the Nationals will be tough to catch along with the seemingly, "can do no wrong" Braves led by their Messiah Chipper Jones. As usual, with few exceptions, the Braves have every position player healthy, no long term injuries like Howard and Utley. The Phils are 5.5 back which normally wouldn't be insurmountable but given that the Braves and Nationals are offensively superior as of now, the Phils are going to have to practice a little voodoo so they better hire a master of the art and soon and call Dominica.— daystrum
- 5.5 back insurmountable? Too funny!— Claudio Vernight
- Pitching. I am more concerned with the field player makeup. This Thome feel good tour can now end. JP as an everyday answer is left is a good until the 4th of July. Bite the bullet now and put DB in regularly and make a decision.— jcaz
- Murpy's post has a huge hole: 13 of our first 29 games have been on the road, and 18 of our next 26 are at home. That context is critical, more so than what pitchers we're facing. Plus, we have a lot of new guys -- Nix, Wigginton, Galvis, Papelbon even -- figuring out how to fit in. Sure, we have better pitching ahead and the NL East is tougher than the West. But we won't have a bead on this team until Memorial Day. Then, without Howard and Utley, we'll know a lot more.— eman
- Phils are 1.5 games out of playoffs.
Once the bats are back in June lookout— WFChamps - The Nationals are the real deal, mostly due to their pitching. What makes them more real than the the Phillies is that they are scoring runs more consistantly, making their pitching look even better. The Phillies pitching has to be "that much better" when scoring 2 runs or even less. Nice to see Nix/Wiggington hit and get BA's over .300. The real key is getting Polanco healthy and getting some hits. I could see in San Diego that Polly was starting to hit the ball squarely. Now, they are starting to find holes.— drhoffman
- The Nationals are the real deal, mostly due to their pitching. What makes them more real than the the Phillies is that they are scoring runs more consistantly, making their pitching look even better. The Phillies pitching has to be "that much better" when scoring 2 runs or even less. Nice to see Nix/Wiggington hit and get BA's over .300. The real key is getting Polanco healthy and getting some hits. I could see in San Diego that Polly was starting to hit the ball squarely. Now, they are starting to find holes.— drhoffman
- Look south. The Nationals biggest slugger from 2011 has been out. The closer is out. Ryan Zimmerman is out. But the Nationals roll along because they do have arms equivalent or better than the Phillies and power threats throughout the line up. They are going to be tough to catch.— jtj10
- The Nationals might be tough, and will probably hit better. But FOUR of their starters have ERA's below 1.52. That's not remotely sustainable.— PhilaLogic
- Well, the Phillies first 4 starters have a combined ERA of 2.06. I don't think that's not remotely sustainable either, and Lee is out for a few more starts, at least. The road ahead is a tough one even when Utley and Howard are back. It's a matter of time when the Marlins get hot and the Nats are legit. But some of us (Bears was another one) told you so.— EL Zorro
- All the team are legit. I do know if our pitchers stay healthy we can sustain that great pitching over 162 games. These other guys have to prove it before I believe it. We might suffer while Lee is out for 2 more starts. He won't miss more then that. When the Marlins get hot? Aren't we capable of getting hot also or are we just incapable of doing that anymore? I doubt it. It is going to be an exciting division and I bet we are somewhere right in the middle of it in Sept. I expect our pen will look different in the 2nd half and will be a big strength. We have some young power arms something we haven't seen in awhile. I expect one or 2 of them will excel.— pattymac3
- @EZ, somewhat fair point re Phils' pitching. But as far as this one variable, your comparison is misleading. The Phillies' top 4 have an ERA of 2.06. Last year, those men had an ERA of 2.59. That's only 27% worse. The top four Washington starters have an ERA of 1.18 now. Last year, those (very good) pitchers had a combined ERA of 3.04. That's 158% worse than they are performing so far.— PhilaLogic
