There are four reasons why the Phillies have been talking a lot recently about switching to a six-man starting rotation as they navigate the tough stretch leading up to the final stretch of their longest season. In no particular order, they are:
Christopher Sanchez: 2.41 ERA in first 16 starts, then 6.63 ERA in his next seven starts.
Rangers, Suarez: 1.83 ERA through his first 16 starts, then a 7.71 ERA through four more before landing on the disabled list with a back injury.
Aaron Nola: 2.77 ERA in first 13 starts, 4.71 ERA in next 11 starts.
Zack Wheeler: 2.16 ERA in first 14 games, 3.54 ERA in next 10 games.
Nola and Wheeler are in the top five for innings pitched among National League starters. Sanchez and Suarez are fast approaching their career-highs in innings pitched, so it makes sense to get a little extra rest, if possible. “The health of our starting pitchers is paramount,” manager Rob Thomson said Thursday afternoon.
At the same time, Baseball 101 suggested that one of the basic requirements for expanding a rotation to six is having six reliable starting pitchers. The first piece of that puzzle fell into place on Tuesday when Taijuan Walker returned from a seven-week IL to recover from inflammation in his index finger. The second piece could come as early as next weekend at Kansas City. Suarez is scheduled to play in a simulated game Saturday or Sunday, and if all goes well, that could pave the way for his return.
Rookie Tyler Phillips has long been expected to round out the group. He pitched a complete game victory against the Guardians on July 27 in just his fourth major league start, lowering his ERA to 1.80, but in his three starts since then, his ERA is 13.91.
“I think he’s still reeling from that complete game,” Thompson said. “The ball’s rising in the zone a little bit more. It’s not sinking as much as it used to. That’s the hallmark of his game, so hopefully he can get that back.”
Phillips had a poor showing against the Marlins on Wednesday night, giving up five runs on nine hits and one walk in 4.1 innings, but he rejected the idea that he was resting on his laurels after pitching a complete game. “I don’t think so,” Phillips said. “I think I’m just trying too hard right now. I’ve got to get back on track.”
Thompson was slightly reserved when asked whether Phillips would pitch in his next scheduled start on Tuesday at Atlanta. “For now, yes,” he said, and hinted slightly that adding another starter might not be as obvious as it once seemed. “Six is always a concern because it puts a strain on the bullpen. That’s the scary thing, so we’ll just have to see what it’s like at the time,” he said.
Findings: Rob Thomson reacted skeptically to an ESPN report Thursday that MLB is considering a sweeping rule change that would require starting pitchers to play at least six innings in a game unless they give up four or more runs, throw 100 pitches or are injured.
“I think it puts a lot of people at risk,” he said.
Is there anything that can be done to bring back the days when starting pitchers were expected to keep pitching until the end of the game? “It starts at the minor league level. You have to establish things like pitch counts. We have a very good medical department today and they understand what puts people at risk. That’s why pitch counts are so low,” he added.
Up next: Remaining matchups in the Nationals series: LHP Patrick Corbin (2-12, 5.98) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (11-6, 3.60) on Friday at 6:40 p.m., LHP MacKenzie Gore (7-10, 4.50) vs. LHP Christopher Sanchez (8-8, 3.63) on Saturday at 6:05 p.m., RHP Jake Irvin (9-10, 3.72) vs. RHP Taijuan Walker (3-4, 5.68) on Sunday at 1:35 p.m.
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