Phillies’ top 4 starters lined up for next 4 games for first time in 2023
The streaky Phillies have not alternated a win with a loss since April 29 and 30, their final two games in Houston.
Since then, they’ve endured a six-game losing streak, won five in a row and then the lost the last two.
But the way the rotation lines up, the Phils have a chance to cut this skid short, beginning with Tuesday’s middle game in San Francisco.
Zack Wheeler makes his ninth start of the season tonight. He’s pitched well in five of his last seven and the Phillies have won five of those seven. Wheeler’s most recent outing came last Wednesday at home when he limited a stacked Blue Jays lineup to one run on three hits over seven innings.
Right-hander Alex Cobb, with his unusual, high-leg delivery, opposes Wheeler and enters with the lowest ERA in the National League. Cobb is 3-1 with a 1.70 ERA in eight starts, fueled in large part by the lowest walk rate of his career. The 35-year-old had a 3.84 ERA the last three seasons and walked nearly twice as many batters per nine (2.9 compared to 1.5 this year).
All three of Cobb’s starts against the Phillies have been quality starts and he pitched seven shutout innings to beat them in 2022. J.T. Realmuto is 3 for 10 with two home runs off of him but all other Phillies are a combined 7 for 47 (.149) with one extra-base hit and 10 strikeouts.
The Phillies have Wheeler, Taijuan Walker, Ranger Suarez and Aaron Nola slated to start their next four games, the first time all season the rotation has lined up in such a way with the Phillies’ top four starters. Suarez and Nola will be pitching with an extra day’s rest because of the upcoming off day Thursday.
Walker has temporarily rectified the control issues that plagued him in his first six starts, pitching six walk-free innings in each of his last two outings, both Phillies wins. He’s drastically increased the use of his best pitch, his splitter, in those two starts, throwing it over 48 percent of the time compared to 32 percent in his prior starts as a Phillie. He’s reduced his fastball usage and hasn’t thrown a single curveball in those games against the Red Sox and Rockies.
The Phillies’ opponent in Wednesday’s series finale looks like it will be Sean Manaea, who they hit hard in the 2022 NLCS. Manaea gave up eight runs to the Nationals in his last start and the Giants aren’t committed to him in the rotation. He’s made six starts and four have been shorter than four innings.
Suarez allowed eight baserunners over four innings Saturday at Coors Field, which is obviously not where any pitcher wants to make his season debut. He threw 72 pitches and will likely be pushed to 90 or so this weekend.
After they finish up in San Francisco, the Phillies have a six-game homestand against the Cubs and Diamondbacks before departing on a 10-game NL East road trip to Atlanta, New York and Washington. When the Phils get to Atlanta on May 25, they’ll have played 15 of their first 16 series against non-NL East opponents.
