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Phillies’ Race with Miami for Third Place

By Tal Venada

Aug 3, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco (7) reacts with center fielder Odubel Herrera (37) and right fielder Aaron Altherr (23) after hitting a walk off game winning RBI single in the twelfth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies won 5-4 in the twelfth inning. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 3, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco (7) reacts with center fielder Odubel Herrera (37) and right fielder Aaron Altherr (23) after hitting a walk off game winning RBI single in the twelfth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies won 5-4 in the twelfth inning. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Hellickson Will Again Lead the Staff into Battle. Photo by Bill Streicher - USA TODAY Sports.
Hellickson Will Again Lead the Staff into Battle. Photo by Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports. /

On the last Sunday in February, many fans will get their first look at some players acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies during their first televised game from Clearwater, Florida.

Offensive Competitor:  

With each new year, changes are the norm, but deviations require secondary measures to compensate for unexpected difficulties.

While many locals are aware of the bigger moves by the Phillies during the last three months, they have a distant relationship with other NL East franchises regarding roster changes during the winter. For instance, everyone knows the Miami Marlins lost ace Jose Fernandez in a boating accident, but what did Miami do to replace him? Drawing a blank? Well, while you were busy, the Marlins added two pitchers each to their rotation and relief corps.

In my complementary piece on the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies battling for third place, Double D, a poster from another site, asked where the Phils will finish this summer. It could be third but the Fish are also in the mix.

Reviewing the starters’ stats without Fernandez’s numbers, Miami confirmed their problem. They would have had a 5.08 ERA for 14th in the National League and just barely ahead of the 5.19 ERA by the Arizona Diamondbacks. Therefore, they picked up Edinson Volquez and Dan Straily from a small pool of available hurlers. So, Double D, the Marlins are gambling on Volquez bouncing back from a poor 162 and on Straily duplicating last year’s success.

Starters:

  • Phillies: 4.41 ERA (9th). Marlins: 4.32 ERA (6th). Braves: 4.87 ERA (14th).
  • Volquez: 34 Gms., 189 1/3 Inn., 10-11, a 5.37 ERA, a 1.5 fWAR and a 1.55 WHIP.
  • Straily: 34 Gms., 191 1/3 Inn.,14- 8, a 3.76 ERA, a 1.2 fWAR and a 1.19 WHIP.
  • Fernandez: 29 Gms., 182 1/3 Inn., 16-8, a 2.86 ERA, a 6.1 fWAR and a 1.12 WHIP.
  • Buchholz: 37 Gms., 21 Starts, 139 1/3 Inn., 8-10, a 4.78 ERA, a 0.5 fWAR and a 1.33 WHIP.

In the other dugout, the red and white will have immediate reinforcements from the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs if Clay Buchholz or the four returning hurlers have any difficulty. In fact, everyone in the Lehigh Valley rotation has the talent to earn a promotion to the majors. As for Buchholz, he rebounded in his last seven starts with a 2.63 ERA after over two months as a reliever, and he also had comebacks in 2013 and 2015. But he is in a new organization and in the final campaign of his contract: He’ll be a free agent for the first time after ’17. Ergo, a solid 162.

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