The Phillies' 26th Man

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Lively Made a Memorable Debut for a Phillies’ Victory. Photo by Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports. /

The watching and waiting was over for the first new moundsman, while the second pitcher promoted is joining the rotation of the Philadelphia Phillies on June 5.

The Elimination Process:

Sometimes, people are like inventory: Businesses use them to replace a broken or ineffective cog in their machinery.

When an injury befalls an organization or a sudden case of ineffectiveness occurs, the 26th man receives a call-up for a day, a series or an extended time period. And if he impresses the general manager, the skipper and the coaches, he can inch his way onto the roster permanently even after the starter returns. But many hurlers find these situations to be temporary due to the competition, the pressure and/or the mental part of the game. That’s baseball.

Although successful pitchers in Double-A have the talent necessary for the majors, being consistently accurate is different. The norm for a major league hurler is 70 percent, while the Double-A starter hits the catcher’s target 40 percent of the time. And if you’ve recently watched Jerad Eickhoff and Aaron Nola, you’ve seen them missing their spots too often. In other words, If a pitch misses the plate, it’s a ball; but a missed location in the strike zone is a mistake and gets hit.

In the cases of Vince Velasquez and Zach Eflin, the former will return after the All-Star break, and the latter was not effective recently: walks and hits. But MiLB numbers can be deceiving if the fan or writer doesn’t dig deep enough, but using sabermetrics isn’t necessary.

When the season began, the five-man staff was very promising, and some youngsters opened the campaign with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Two months later, Phillies at the top are faltering and are even receiving competition from minor leaguers not considered before.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “Some of these guys wear beards to make them look intimidating, but they don’t look so tough when they have to deliver the ball. Their abilities and their attitudes don’t back up their beards.” – Don Drysdale

In a Game of Firsts, Lively Got His First Hit. Photo by Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports. /

Even though Ben Lively and Nick Pivetta have temporarily filled two spots, another option is Thomas Eshelman. Yes, his numbers have improved from the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils to Lehigh Valley. However, he hasn’t been at either level long enough for hitters to catch up to him. And when they do, his statistics will represent his ability and progression.

Eshelman’s stats:

Double-A: 5 gms, 29 inn., 3-0 and a 3.10 ERA.
Triple-A: 5 gms, 38 2/3 inn., 3-0 and a 1.40 ERA.
Double-A outings by innings pitched: 4 2/3, 5 1/3, 6, 6 and 7.
Triple-A outings by innings pitched: 8, 7, 8, 6 2/3 and 9.

During a coaches’ meeting right before the series with the San Francisco Giants, one coach pointed out how the Cincinnati Reds and Miami Marlins saw the Phillies as a team they should beat. Their hurlers – the coach continued – look at Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera and see outs. And as they cruise through the frames – the pitching coach added – their confidence increases until the appearance ends with congratulations from their teammates. Meanwhile, the hitting coach stated our dugout is a “morgue”.

As the powwow proceeded to Eickhoff and Nola, their coach voiced his belief that opposing batters anticipate putting crooked numbers on the scoreboard. They either accept a free pass or wait for a mistake to get a knock. And after they win the first game, they can smell a series victory or even a sweep. Yes, they know – the bench coach agreed – and they expect to beat us.

Pivetta Will Make His Fifth Start in Atlanta. Photo by Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports. /

After two rocky starts for the IronPigs to open 2017, Jake Thompson put five consecutive solid performances together – three earned runs in 28 1/3 innings – and he was on his way to a call-up. Then, three starts through June 4 – 13 earned runs in 15 2/3 frames – cast doubt on the hurler in Allentown with the most MLB experience. But before the year began, he believed he just needed to pitch in the big leagues like he did for Lehigh Valley to be successful. Detour!

Updated stats:

Thompson: 10 gms., 48 2/3 Inn., a 2-5 mark and a 5.73 ERA.

A MEAL FOR TWO: “When you have an inconsistent season, you learn a lot about yourself and your pitching.” – Mark Mulder

Picking up where he left off for the IronPigs, Pivetta is the prospect with the best stuff. Yeah, the kind coaches, skippers and execs are looking for. Of course, management liked what they saw during his brief stint here, but will it be enough for another handful of outings?

Pivetta’s stats:

Triple-A April: 3 gms., 19 inn., 3-0 and a 0,95 ERA.
MLB: 4 gms., 19 1/3 inn., 0-2 and a 5.12 ERA.
Triple-A May: 2 gms., 13 inn., 2-0 and a 2.08 ERA.

In Addition to His Pitching and Hitting, Lively Also Made a Competitive Fielding Play. Photo by Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports. /

When general manager Matt Klentak examined Lively’s total numbers at Triple-A, he knew the starter had made the adjustments to thrive for the Allentown club: 28 starts, 174 innings, a 17-6 record and a 2.84 ERA. However, he didn’t impress management in Clearwater: five appearances, 10 1/3 frames and a 6.97 ERA. Unfortunately, he had difficulty in March. And it wasn’t necessary for him to work in relieve when the Philadelphia Phillies activated him in mid-May either.

With May finally in the rearview mirror, Lively made his major league debut and was the unexpected stopper with his seven-frame victory. But it didn’t happen without the possibility of no run support for most of the game. And who added the runs that proved to be valuable? Herrera and Franco. Yeah, you never know how that first opportunity will turn out.

IN OTHER WORDS: “My major league debut came at old Busch Stadium on Grand Avenue in St. Louis, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The first pitch I threw was to third baseman Bob Bailey. It was a fastball, low and away. He ripped it for a home run down the left field line. I said, ‘Damn, that was a pretty good pitch.” – Steve Carlton

Barring additional moves, Lively and Pivetta will compete for the fifth slot in the rotation until the mid-July break. And if we’re lucky, these two will inject some needed energy into the team until Velasquez rehabs and returns from the disabled list. How long will that wait be? Six weeks!

Thompson Is Fading from View with His Last Three Starts. Photo by Tommy Gilligan – USA TODAY Sports. /

The Numerical Bible:

This review is not a sabermetrics article, which means no heavy statistical analysis. But because some readers rely on stats, this is only a reference: no reason to articulate the importance of these numbers.

Stats are through June 4 but do not include Thompson’s Sunday night start.

Lively, 25:

MLB: 1 Gm., 7 Inn.,1-0, a 1.29 ERA, a 4.76 FIP, a 6.74 xFIP, a 7.44 SIERA, a 0.1 fWAR and a 1.00 WHIP.
Triple-A: 9 Gms., 56 1/3 Inn., 6-1, a 2.40 ERA, a 2.45 FIP, a 3.86 xFIP and a 0.94 WHIP.

Pivetta, 24:

MLB: 4 Gms., 19 1/3 Inn., 0-2, a 5.12 ERA, a 5.78 FIP, a 4.49 xFIP, a 4.30 SIERA, a 0.0 fWAR and a 1.81 WHIP.
Triple-A: 5 Gms., 22 Inn., 5-0, a 1.41 ERA, a 1.71 FIP, a 2.85 xFIP and a 0.84 WHIP.

Thompson, 23:

MLB: 3 Gms. (relief), 5 Inn., 0-0, a 9.00 ERA, a 6.84 FIP, a 7.37 xFIP, a 6.42 SIERA, a -0.1 fWAR and a 2.00 WHIP.
Triple-A: 9 Gms., 43 1/3 Inn., 2-5, a 5.82 ERA, a 3.38 FIP, a 3.98 xFIP and a 1.64 WHIP.

Next: Phillies' Options Going Forward

Eshelman, almost 23:

Triple-A: 5 Gms., 38 2/3 Inn., 3-0, a 1.40 ERA, a 2.69 FIP, a 3.92 xFIP and a 0.80 WHIP.
Double-A: 5 Gms., 29 Inn., 3-0, a 3.10 ERA, a 5.02 FIP, a 3.50 xFIP and a 1.10 WHIP.

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