Phillies: Wait ’till next year or 2019

Aiming for consistency: 

The Phillies have four starters for three spots and want a rotation southpaw. Of the four, Zach Eflin again showed the most promise. But deviation away from his routine affected his stellar performances in ’18: skipping a turn, a nagging ailment, or pitching through an injury until landing on the disabled list.

Despite a bad rap from his detractors, Vince Velasquez made great strides last summer. In fact, he had one debacle and one injury exit out of 15 starts from May 5 through Aug. 3: The others were 11 good and two so-so outings. And he hurled 6 1/3 innings or more in seven opportunities and six frames in three.

While three moundsmen gained a year’s experience, Jerad Eickhoff returned for one start and reminded the faithful of his solid ’16 campaign. Now, he is healthy again and he could even slot third. He also wants to make up for a disappointing ’17. Don’t count him out!

Lastly, Nick Pivetta had dominated opponents in April and May, but he probably lost his confidence in June. He looked like his 2017 self with nine poor efforts out of his last 21 from June 1 through September’s end: 42.9 percent. However, he also had eight good and four so-so performances.

Going by their roles, the Phils have three shut-down relievers with the inking of David Robertson. Firstly, Hector Neris will primarily quiet threats in the fifth-through-the-seventh innings. Based on his mid-August return, the flamethrower recorded a 2.04 ERA in 20 outings: No need for another demotion.

After dominating the majors, Seranthony Dominguez struggled in August. Basically, he had been almost unhittable after arriving, but the pressure of that success caught up to him: He had growing pains during that difficult stretch. But now he’ll, mostly, work high-leverage situations in the seventh and eighth frames.