A Wild Card for 2018’s Phillies Rotation
By Tal Venada
If you project the starting staff you have seen so far, legitimate concerns are everywhere after the first two hurlers, and general manager Matt Klentak of the Philadelphia Phillies has probably already begun the search to acquire a stabilizing influence for his young charges.
The Other Option:
During the course of a lifetime, many people have a handful of choices regarding their future, and sometimes one selection is intriguing due to its uniqueness.
To narrow the possibilities, this article begins with the longest shot first; however, the unusual candidate is not currently the favorite.
When Klentak figures out his five-man staff for next summer, he will take into account if he has five hurlers he can count on. He will look for consistency: Four quality outings out of five is management’s expectation according to Mackanin. And if the GM isn’t comfortable with two rotation slots, he will scour 29 other rosters for a veteran arm he can flip to fit between or behind Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff in April. Ergo, a one-season deal.
While Nola has a 10-game streak of dominant pitching, he is establishing himself as an ace and not just in Philadelphia. His run began on June 22. On the other hand, Eickhoff is showing the potential to be a number-two since June 16, but a disabled list stint slightly affected bis progress.
Stats for their most recent performances:
- Nola, 24: 10 Gms., 68 1/3 Inn., 13 ER and 6-2 with a 1.71 ERA.
- Eickhoff, 27: 8 Gms., 45 2/3 Inn., 15 ER and 3-0 with a 2.96 ERA.
- Velasquez, 25: 4 Gms., 21 Inn., 7 ER and 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA excluding his injury-related game.
During a nice evening at the Bank, Nola and Eickhoff, aka Eick, enjoyed the contest from the dugout railing, while they watched Mark Leiter working in long relief. What would you throw that slugger in this 1-2 count, Eick? An up-and-in heater before a low-and-away slider. Another punch out for Leiter!
How many pitches does Leiter have? He has six, Eick, and his out pitch is his splitter. Yeah, and his dad has coached him forever.
As the conversation continued, Nola told his teammate about facing this guy yesterday. Popped him up! Tommy Joseph is running straight for the hurlers; they back away from the railing. Bang! Whoa, it went right off the roof near the Phanatic.
"FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “I get tired of hearing my ballplayers bellyache all the time. They should sit in the press box sometime and watch themselves play.” – Buzzie Bavasi"