Phillies rotation concerns for 2019 vs. 1980 and 2008
By Tal Venada
After the Phillies spent $488 million during the offseason, fans still want a southpaw for the five-man staff, but MLB front offices can’t fix every problem with financial resources alone.
Yesterday’s enlightenment:
Memories of the good times for the Philadelphia Phillies usually gloss over any deficiencies those championship teams had. Yes, we eye only the unblemished facade of those two red pennants flapping in a warm June breeze but overlook some worries we experienced during those 162s.
"IN OTHER WORDS: “God bless the potholes on Memory Lane.” – Randy Newman"
When you take the wayback machine to those glory days, you discover stars with down seasons, injuries and abbreviated campaigns you fused mentally to their brighter summers. Ultimately, those irrelevancies vanished in a celebratory haze.
On the other hand, the 2011 squad wasn’t victorious in a single playoff series after setting a franchise record of 102 triumphs. And although they had four aces and the most major league wins, they lost to a hot club. But could those Phils have beaten the most-talented 25 in the last 10 years? That’s the point exactly!
As for the team to beat, well, they lost to the New York Yankees in 2009’s Fall Classic, the San Francisco Giants in 2010’s NLCS and the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011’s NLDS. For what it’s worth, each of those organizations won the World Series in those 162s.
In ’80, the rotation’s number two made only 14 starts with none in June and July. He, fortunately, had five outings in his best month: September. Meanwhile, the three-slot hurler had arguably a career season, and those were unexpected outcomes in March.
Regarding ’08, the offense and the bullpen offset a rotation weaker than the current one, and they were behind an ace who only had 51 starts before Opening Day. And even though pitching and defense is a winning formula, those red pinstripes went 11-3 in their postseason romp.
Well, the current five-man staff has some of the faithful fretting about a missing piece, but a possible concern is developing. Two starters are coming along slowly, while a third was pitching his frames in relief until March 15. At this time, though, it’s merely questionable but worth eyeballing.