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Kincade & Salciunas: Weekdays 6am – 10am

Kincade & Salciunas: Weekdays 6am – 10am

Philadelphia Phillies Starting Pitchers Must Avoid Early Holes in MLB Playoffs

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Author John Kincade

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitchers have battled this season. However, far too often they have dug early holes.

One thing that somehow rounded into shape late in 2022 was having two top dogs leading the way and the emergence of a young Ranger Suarez to help them get all the way to the World Series. It was an unlikely run, but starting pitchers who didn’t dig early holes bolstered the Phillies.

The 2023 starters might as well have brought shovels to the mound, digging a hole but admirably fighting to keep afloat. Early struggles will kill your chances during the MLB postseason.

Hopefully, they can match what they did last October. Overall, the Phillies starters are actually one of the best MLB staffs. It certainly hasn’t seemed that way. Do you remember that 2022 run?

Wild Card Round vs. St. Louis Cardinals

  • Game 1- Trailed by 2 in 7th inning – WIN
  • Game 2- Never Trailed – WIN 

In Game 1, behind an impressive scoreless 6 innings from Zack Wheeler, the Phillies were in a position to win. In Game 2, Aaron Nola was dominant in a scoreless performance for 6 2/3 innings.

NLDS vs. Atlanta Braves

  • Game 1- Never Trailed – WIN
  • Game 2- Trailed by 3 in 6th inning – LOSS
  • Game 3-  Never Trailed – WIN
  • Game 4- Never Trailed – WIN

The Phillies never trailed in any of their three wins in the upset series victory against the Braves. The starting pitching was up to the challenge of facing a mighty lineup, and the offense gave them room to breathe.

NLCS vs. San Diego Padres

  • Game 1- Never Trailed – WIN
  • Game 2- Trailed by 3 in 5th inning – LOSS
  • Game 3-  Never Trailed – WIN
  • Game 4- Trailed by 4 in 1st inning – WIN
  • Game 5- Trailed by 1 in 8th inning – WIN

In Games 1 and 3, the Phillies followed the earlier script of the Wild Card and the NLDS. They never trailed.

In Game 4 they didn’t trail after the bottom of the 5th. We all know what Bryce Harper did in the bottom of the 8th in Game 5! On the way to the National League Pennant, the Phillies had an impressive 9-2 record. They also never trailed in six of those wins.

World Series vs. Houston Astros

  • Game 1- Trailed by 5 in 4th inning – WIN
  • Game 2- Trailed by 3 in 1st inning – LOSS
  • Game 3- Never Trailed – WIN
  • Game 4- Trailed by 5 in the 5th inning – LOSS
  • Game 5-  Trailed by 1 in the 1st inning – LOSS
  • Game 6- Trailed by 3 in the 6th inning – LOSS

The script flipped in the World Series, and the Phillies met defeat.

Game 3 was the only one of the six in the series when they didn’t trail the Astros. When they faced the best team in the postseason, climbing out of the grave was too difficult.

Phillies Starting Pitchers Need to Change

You aren’t winning a postseason series without good starting pitching. Sometimes, you need it to be excellent.

The Phillies have a great chance to go into the postseason as one of the best starting pitching staffs in the majors. As we saw last October, they will need it if they want to finish what they started in 2022.

Watch The John Kincade Show live on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page on weekday mornings from 6am-10am.

Bryson Stott and 15 Other Philadelphia Athletes We Have Supreme Confidence In

  • Bryson Stott

    Last night was not the first time Stott came up big. He had a walk-off vs the Reds earlier this year. Last year he hit a walk-off HR vs the Angels. In the playoffs, it was his long at-bat that led to the big inning vs Spencer Strider. Every rally, every comeback, always seems to have Bryson Stott involved. Even if it’s not him getting a hit, he still has a long at bat, moves a runner over, or does something productive.

    He was the guy who inspired the list, so of course he had to be the first name that comes up. Jamie gushed almost all show about his love affair with the Phillies’ young 2nd baseman. And can you blame him? Stott is fast becoming the fan favorite on the Phillies. While many of his teammates have struggled, he has consistently played well for them all season.

  • Alec Bohm

    Bohm’s lack of power given his size is a bit confusing. But you can’t argue with the other results. Anytime he is up with runners in scoring position, it feels like he gets it done. He is hitting .347 this season with RISP. He leads the team with 62 RBIs, including the game-winning one last night. And given the rest of the team’s struggles with RISP, they really need that from him.

    Bohm has become a fan favorite ever since the “I ****ng hate it here” situation. He owned up to it, and Philly fans love him for it. But they also love him because he tends to come up clutch. Which is why both Andrew and Jamie put Bohm on their list.

  • Bryce Harper

    Harper showed how clutch he was vs the Padres last year. In the biggest at-bat of his life, he had “the swing of his life.” And he was great all throughout those playoffs. And he played a big part in last night’s win. First, it was the HR that tied the game. And then when they were trailing in the 9th again, his single started the rally that led to the win.

    His time in Philly has been defined by big moments. The walk-off grand Slam vs the Cubs. It was his HR that set up Stott’s walk-off slam vs the Angels last year. Harper feels like he is built for big moments. Which is why both Andrew and Jamie put him on their list of guys they have Supreme Confidence in.

     

  • Zack Wheeler

    Jamie did not initially have Wheeler on his list. But Andrew talked him around to it. He has struggled a bit this season. But his recent starts have been much better. And his track record with the Phillies speaks for itself. Wheeler gave them great starts all throughout the playoffs, game 1 of the World Series aside. He probably should have been Cy Young two seasons ago. And he has reliably filled the role of Ace for the Phillies. Which no one had really done since the days of Halladay, Hamels, and Lee.

    CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 22: Starting pitcher Zack Wheeler #45 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 22, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio.

    (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

  • Lane Johnson

    Lane Johnson has not given up a sack in over two seasons. Hard to get more trustworthy than that. He has lined up against Super Star edge rushers like Micah Parsons, and Nick Bosa, and he shut them down. Not to mention he is tough as hell and played in the playoffs with an injury that eventually required surgery.

  • Jason Kelce

    Speaking of not giving up sacks, Jason Kelce has allowed 0 the last two seasons too. He has been the First-Team All-Pro Center in 5 of the last 6 seasons. And he never misses games. His streak of 139 straight regular-season starts is 2nd in the league right now, and the 2nd longest in Eagles history. If he plays 6 straight games this season, he will pass Jon Ruynan to move into first place. It does not get more trustworthy than a guy who never gets beaten, and always plays.

  • Devonta Smith

    What gets Smith on this list is that it feels like he catches everything. He has quickly made a name for himself by making acrobatic catches to keep a drive alive. He did it in the 49ers game last year. And although further review will show he probably did not catch it, the face Smith knew enough to get up quickly and let his teammates know they had to get the snap off, makes him look even better. Even as the 2nd option, he still racked up 1000 yards last year. Smith does not look like a WR2. He is more of a WR1B alongside AJ Brown.

  • AJ Brown

    If Hurts threw the ball up deep last year, we felt pretty confident AJ Brown was going to make a play. They connected 3 times for long TDs in traffic vs the Steelers last season. The guy just catches everything, not matter how good the coverage is.

    Andrew did leave him off his list. Only because he had a little bit of a fumble problem last year. But it is hard to argue from the results in his first year with the Eagles.

  • Jalen Hurts

    Hurts got the ball back, down 8, at one point in the Super Bowl. The game was falling apart for the Eagles after they once led by multiple scores. Hurts did not blink. Hurts led the team down the field, scored a TD, and then tied it up himself with a 2-point conversion. He did not get another chance after the Chiefs took the lead with an FG with not enough time left on the clock. But every Eagles fan was thinking that if the defense can just get a stop, to get the ball back to Hurts, that he would get the job done.

  • Haason Reddick

    Reddick terrorized opposing QBS last year. 16 sacks. And his best moment probably came in the playoffs vs the 49ers. He pretty much won the game for the Eagles before it got going. Getting right to Brock Purdy, forcing a fumble, and unfortunately hurting him. Whiny 49ers players and fans still insist that if that moment didn’t happen, they would have won. So if that is the case, we have Reddick to thank for getting the Eagles to the Super Bowl. He is so unblockable he wrecked the 49ers’ entire gameplan.

  • Josh Sweat

    The only player Jamie may love more than Stott is Josh Sweat. Full credit to him because he has been on the Josh Sweat bandwagon since long before Sweat was racking up double digits sacks. Last year the potential finally paid off. So Jamie was not going to leave his guy off his list. Reddick overshadowed him a little bit, but Sweat was nearly just as dangerous from the other side of the line.

  • Brandon Graham

    Speaking of double-digit sacks, Graham accomplished that feat last year for the first time in his career. And it was as a rotational edge rusher, not an every-down player. But the Eagles have been counting on Graham for long before he reached that milestone. He will always be remembered for making one of the biggest plays in franchise history. The Eagles might not have ever won a Super Bowl if it was not for his strip sack of Tom Brady.

    MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots fumbles as Brandon Graham #55 of the Philadelphia Eagles strips the ball in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

    (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

  • James Bradberry

    James Bradberry allowed the lowest pass rating against in the NFL last year. Does it get more trustworthy than that? He shut down nearly every WR he faced. And had 3 picks to go with that. Thank you again Giants for cutting him for no reason.

  • Jake Elliott

    Do kickers count as athletes? Elliott has been nearly automatic on field goals and extra points the past two seasons. He missed just 3 FGs last season, and one came in a bad weather game while injured. And on FGs over 50 yards, he was 5 of 6.

    We don’t usually count kickers as Football players. And very few people are going to rock a Jake Elliott jersey. But when Elliott comes up to kick an FG, we can be mostly comfortable that he is going to hit it. That trend started with his 61-yard FG to beat the Giants and has continued since then. The punter is another story. But Elliott we can trust.

  • Joel Embiid

    This one will be controversial. Andrew said yes, and Jamie said no. Before the Celtics series, nearly everyone would have said yes. But it is hard to get the taste of his Game 7 performance out of our mouths. And suddenly there are questions about a guy we all would have had absolute confidence in a few months ago. Do you still trust him, or has that trust been broken?

  • Tyrese Maxey

    Is Maxey a star yet? Hard to tell. We will learn a lot about him this season. But it does feel like he can score almost at will at times. And he is the one guy who came out of the other side of that Celtics series still beloved by Philly fans. He has been able to thrive in a smaller role. But with the Sixers roster in limbo, there will likely be a lot more pressure on Maxey this season, and we will learn exactly who he is. For now, it is hard not to be confident in the guy.

A full blooded Delco native from a sports crazed family, John has been obsessed with Philly sports from his days at St. Annie’s drawing team logos on his book covers! Told many times by teachers along the way “if you knew your studies as well as you know your sports” he turned that perceived weakness into a career. John has been broadcasting at the local and national levels since 1992. As a content creator for 97.5 The Fanatic he writes about Eagles, Sixers, Phillies and Flyers. You can follow @johnkincade or reach him at [email protected]

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