Philadelphia Phillies: Rotation's 5-slot battle coming to a head

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With two more rehab starts, the decision on Eickhoff is roughly two weeks away. Photo by Mike McGinnis/Getty Images. /

With each opportunity, four Phillies starters have the goal to separate themselves from the other three, and a difficult inning or two will be a test along the way.

Challenge accepted:

While the Philadelphia Phillies are off and running with a quarter of their 162 completed, the starting staff has two competitions. For one, Jerad Eickhoff‘s return means general manager Matt Klentak will have an odd man out with the possibility of a delayed reactivation.

IN OTHER WORDS: “Competition can be the most nerve-racking experience. Some people just thrive on it.” – Itzhak Perlman

Except for Ben Lively and Drew Anderson, the rotation for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs has hurlers who are not on the 40-man roster, and the only southpaw is Cole Irvin. Ergo, right-handers Enyel De Los Santos and Tom Eshelman probably won’t receive promotional consideration until the second half.

As for the red pinstripes, Zach Eflin, Vince Velasquez, and Nick Pivetta are pitching for their major league lives because Eickhoff is rehabbing in the minors. And those MiLB outings will depend on his progress and the home schedules of their top-three affiliates.

But even though fans aren’t thinking about it, those four moundsmen are also in a second competition. Yes, management is looking ahead to the postseason to determine if they have a solid three-spot arm, and Eflin is the early leader.

While Klentak isn’t currently trading for a solid rotation piece, he is manning the phones to lay the groundwork for a July deal if he doesn’t have an in-house candidate to pitch behind Aaron Nola and Jake Arrieta. That’s a GMs job!

If you review the last Bank appearances by Pivetta and Velasquez, you’ll notice Pivetta was on the ropes in the first inning of an eked-out victory totaling five scoreless frames. And Velasquez allowed three runs in the first two innings before being a different hurler after his first three outs.

If you remember the rainout against the New York Mets, Kapler skipped Eflin’s turn because the preferred matchup against Jacob deGrom was Nola. And the decision-makers wanted Eflin facing the St. Louis Cardinals, not the Baltimore Orioles. So, Pivetta and Velasquez drew the easier team before the inclement weather.

With Pivetta’s results and stuff, he doesn’t want Eickhoff to replace him. Photo by Miles Kennedy/Philadelphia Phillies/Getty Images. /

Prospects:

When you look at the numbers for Lehigh Valley, think Scott Kingery. The competition in Triple-A is nothing compared to the majors. In fact, it’s the ceiling for half of the advancing talent from Double-A and demoted MLB veterans want to bounce back.

Even thought Irvin is the only left-hander among the IronPigs starters, the Phillies probably won’t allot him a roster slot until after the 2019 season: no September call-up. He’s had four good outings to three struggling ones, but he recorded 14 frames with one run (earned) during his last two starts.

Triple-A stats through May 17:

Irvin, 24: 7 Gms., 42 Inn., 3-1, 3.21 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP.
De Los Santos, 22.5: 7 Gms., 38 1/3 Inn., 4-1, 1.40 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP.
Eshelman, almost 24: 7 Gms., 36 2/3 Inn., 1-3, 6.87 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP.
Lively, 26: 1 Gm., 5 Inn., 1-0, 0.00 ERA and a 0.40 WHIP.
Anderson, 24: 1 Gm., 4 2/3 Inn., 0-0, 5.79 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP (after-DL stint).

On the other hand, righty De Los Santos will require a roster spot after this campaign. But if he continues to dominate the International League, he could advance to the parent club after the July break.

Last year, the faithful anticipated the promotion of Eshelman, who like De Los Santos will need roster protection after this 162. But he’s had a dreadful April and May with only one good performance to six forgettable ones. And since Eshelman depends on pinpoint control, he might have a mechanical problem or two.

Lastly, Lively is back with the Allentown affiliate, where he fired five scoreless innings with only a hit and a walk. He tossed 68 pitches in his first appearance after a disabled-list stint. However, he had two good and two poor outings for the Phillies and a 4.64 ERA before his disastrous last start due to lower back stiffness.

Velasquez will face a big test by starting against the Cardinals. Photo by H. Martin/Getty Images. /

Decision time:

On Phillies sites, two schools of thought regarding the five-man staff were present. One was acquiring a starter at the trade deadline will be a must, and the other was it might not be necessary. On the other hand, both conclusions had clouded perceptions.

Firstly, posters favoring a swap look at stats and equate a youngster’s difficulties as his ceiling. By that logic, Cesar Hernandez would never be more than a reserve. In other words, they believe Eflin, Velasquez, and Pivetta had their shot. So, they’re ready for De Los Santos: They now like the Freddy Galvis trade.

The optimist stated a rotation of Nola, Arrieta, Eickhoff, Pivetta, and Eflin is solid; but it will depend on Eickhoff. On the other hand, this fan has already decided Velasquez and Lively are out by omitting them. However, this competition isn’t over by any means.

When spring training began, Eickhoff was second on the five-man staff to Nola until his lat strain and DL status. He made his first appearance on May 15 with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils: 36 pitches over 3 1/3 frames. In fact, he could start two more games or rehab the maximum of a month if necessary.

WORDS OF WISDOM: “It is better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” – Whitney M. Young

The thing most dreaded by a big leaguer is returning to Triple-A after getting a taste of the Show. In other words, to be in the majors for a while reveals the difference. If the organization designates a player for assignment, he might land with another MLB franchise.

Even though Eflin won’t have an under-1.00 ERA, he could be the three-slot arm the Phillies need if he can stay healthy. Photo by Miles Kennedy/Philadelphia Phillies/Getty Images. /

A destination for three:

On the bottom rung, Pivetta had four consecutive good outings bookended by two poor starts. But he entered May with a 3.27 ERA. However, a one-inning debacle had preceded his last home appearance with a long first frame, and he barely got through five scoreless innings for a victory.

With his stuff working on May 17, Pivetta dominated the O’s for seven innings of one-run ball and allowed only two hits and one free pass, while he fanned 11. But how does he handle outings without his best?

Following a bad start to 2018, Velasquez fired three straight outings successfully before two clunkers to finish April with a 5.70 ERA. But he has a 3.27 ERA for May. More importantly, his last outing included three runs scored before the fourth out; then, he retired 11 of his final 15 outs with strikeouts. Are you catching on?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “If a window of opportunity appears, don’t pull down the shade.” – Tom Peters

Regarding Eflin, he either is decent, or he tries to work through an injury until it stops him. Health is key. But since he was sent to the minors to develop his secondary arsenal, he’s now putting zeroes on the scoreboard: a 0.71 ERA for two performances.

The Phillies will have seven contests with two over-.500 teams. And only Pivetta will not pitch during the four-game series in St. Louis. But which of the other two candidates to be the number three has the most crucial start against the Cardinals? Eflin!

Next: Phillies: Closer's next challenger

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