Phillies: Rotation’s motivations or mysteries

Finish line ahead:

With Nola, Arrieta and Eflin, the Phillies have a glaring need for a fourth moundsman working after Nola or Arrieta in the postseason. Yes, a nine-man pen could include Velasquez, Pivetta and Eickhoff because skippers have quick hooks in October and need multiple innings of relief.

Before the All-Star break, franchises evaluate their successful expectations, surprises and disappointments, while they exhaust all in-house options. And then they plug a hole or two with July swaps to compete with other contenders through the stretch drive.

Organizationally, Pivetta’s opportunity was against a club he had success with: the Cardinals. The carrot, however, was the MLB start, and that performance provided some confidence. As for Velasquez, his switch to the bullpen was not a banishment or a new role, it was motivation for another rotation shot.

To sum up, you can expect starting and relieving appearances from Velasquez, Pivetta and/or Eickhoff for a while. Basically, Klentak will either pick up a rotation or a bullpen piece, but which one will make the most sense if he can only afford one? A veteran starter!