Phillies: Striking karma gold in 2020 for 1981’s pain

Distorted expectations:       

Because the Phillies have questionable pitching, some feel they have no shot for even the Wild Card Game. So, who was the number two starter behind Cole Hamels for the 2008 champions? Jamie Moyer! Yeah, his record was 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA: He was a two-slot arm that 162, but Brett Myers had opened ’08 behind Hamels.

Myers had produced two years like Moyer’s 2008 success before closing in 2007; unfortunately, Myers had a dreadful first half in 2008: 3-9 with a 5.84 ERA. To his credit, though, he accepted  a one-month demotion requiring his approval to fix his problems at Triple-A. And he came back to go 7-4 with a 3.06 ERA.

For the ’80 Fightins, a similar occurrence happened with Dick Ruthven putting up stats like a two-slot hurler, and many consider him as the two behind Steve Carlton. Fortunately, he was in 1980 with a 17-10 mark and a 3.55 ERA, but prior to that campaign he had recorded only one season with an ERA under his 4.02 of 1974.

Entering ’80, Larry Christenson was the number two. But he went 3-0 with a 6.31 ERA through May before a two-month stint on the IL (injured list). However, he returned with a 2-1 record and a 2.81 ERA for August and September. Outcome: Four preseason assumptions were wrong.

For 2020, the Mets will be without “co-ace” Noah Syndergaard who went 10-8 with a 4.28 ERA. But although many opposing fans expected a healthy, dominate starter, his 2019 statistics and his Tommy John surgery indicate otherwise. Again, two assumptions are incorrect. Do some still believe this rival has superior pitching?