Phillies: Rotation surprises in 2020, 2008, 1980
By Tal Venada
Head of the rotation:
With a 3.20 ERA or lower, the stud atop the starting staff will set the tone for the other four Phillies and shoulder the pressure to win. Plus Wheeler’s addition and Eflin’s potential breakout will lighten Nola’s stress and generate his competitive juices performance-wise. A dominate Nola again?
Phillies aces:
- 1980: Carlton, 35: 38 Gms., 304 Inn., 24-9, a 2.34 ERA, an 8.8 fWAR and a 1.10 WHIP.
- 2008: Hamels, 24: 33 Gms., 227 1/3 Inn., 14-10, a 3.09 ERA, a 4.8 fWAR and a 1.08 WHIP.
- 2019: Nola, 26.5: 34 Gms., 202 1/3 Inn., 12-7, a 3.87 ERA, a 3.4 fWAR and a 1.27 WHIP.
Due to his physical-routine dedication, Carlton, 35, went 24-9 with a 2.34 ERA for 303 innings. Yes, Lefty mowed down the opposition with fastballs and sliders. And he even intimated them in 1972 with a 27-10 record and a 1.97 ERA for the 59-victory Fightins. Also, his teammates loved his “win day” starts including 15 straight Ws.
In his third season, Hamels was 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA before his dominating performances in the NLCS and the Fall Classic. And he even tossed his only no-hitter for his final outing in a Phillies uniform. For ’20, many of the faithful weren’t happy his return didn’t happen.
After Nola had finished third for the NL’s 2018 Cy Young Award, national publications expected some regression. But he had rough patches to begin and end the next 162. However, he still managed to fire at least 6 1/3 innings 16 times, and 10 were seven frames or more. Plus he’s due for a bounce-back summer.
If you total his last two campaigns, he went 29-13 with a 3.10 ERA. Additionally, his stats for 2017 and 2019 were similar and unlike 2018. Nola, though, in 2020 has a better-than-average shot of improving to 15 victories or more with a 2.99 ERA or lower.