Are This Year’s 4 Aces Pitching Better Than The 2011 Staff?

The Phillies are off to the best start in baseball. Through 36 games, they have a league-best record of 25-11 and set a franchise record for wins in the month of April. The bats are starting to come alive, but the real story of the 2024 Phillies has been the ELITE starting pitching of the new 4 aces. 

After watching Wheeler have another excellent start yesterday afternoon, I wanted to see just how good this rotation is compared to the best rotation in my lifetime, the 2011 4 Aces. 

Let me make this clear. No. I am not comparing the 2024 Phillies rotation to the entire careers of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels. What I am doing today is showing you the stats through the first 8, 7, or 6 starts of the 2011 rotation to the current pitchers on the roster.

I also decided to go with Spencer Turnbull instead of Taijuan Walker who didn't start the season on the active roster, and over Christopher Sanchez because I want to make this article more pretty and Turnbull's numbers do that.

I also want to let the nerds know that I am using stats we all know and not the weird ones you see on the big screen at CBP that I need to google to get an understanding for (and I still don't understand them half the time).

Zach Wheeler has made 8 starts in 2024 so we are going to compare his start to the season to the first 8 starts by Roy Halladay

Halladay through first 8 starts of 2011 - 5-2 RECORD  61.1 IP  2.05 ERA  66KS 9BBS - BATTING AVERAGE AGAINST .220

Zach Wheeler through 8 starts - 4-3 RECORD  49.1IP  1.64 ERA (LEADS LEAGUE) 63KS (LEADES LEAGUE) 13BBS - AVERAGE AGANST .173

Again. I am not saying Zach Wheeler is better than Roy Halladay, but through 8 starts in 2011, Wheeler has been more dominant which is CRAZY

Nola has made 7 starts so we look at Lee's first 7 starts of 2011.

Cliff Lee through 7 starts  2-3 RECORD 46.1 IP 3.69 ERA   60KS 7BBS    AVERAGE AGAINST .255 

Aaron Nola through 7 starts- 4-1 RECORD   43.1 IP   3.32 ERA   40KS 15 BBS .217 AVERAGE AGAINST

This one was closer than Wheeler and Halladay, but it shows that Nola not having the hottest start isn't the worst thing in the world as long as he settles into the pitcher we know he can be.

I honestly forgot that Cole Hamels didn't start until the fourth game of the season in 2011. So next we compare Ranger Suarez to Roy Oswalt.

Roy Oswalt through 7 starts- 3-2 RECORD    39IP    2.77 ERA   27KS  10BBS   .245 AVERAGE AGAINST

Ranger Suarez through 7 starts - 6-0 RECORD    47IP   1.72 ERA    46KS   6BBS    .173 AVERAGE AGAINST

Sorry Roy, you lose this one because you went up against the best pitcher in baseball.

Last but not least, we compare the old ace of the staff in Cole Hamels to a guy NO ONE thought would pitch the way he has this year, Spencer Turnbull.

Cole Hamels through 6 starts- 4-1 RECORD    40.2 IP    2.66 ERA    40KS   10BBS    .211 AVERAGE AGAINST

Spencer Turnbull through 6 starts - 2-0 RECORD 32.1 IP    1.67 ERA    36KS  10BBS   .148 AVERAGE AGAINST

It is a damn shame that Turnbull was rewarded with a demotion to the bullpen with these numbers.

Well, there you have it. I wasn't as crazy as I thought when I put out the tweet after Wheeler's outing yesterday. Through the first month and change of the season, the 2024 Phillies "4 Aces" are as, if not more dominant than the 2011 rotation.

The Philadelphia Phillies will play nine full series on their schedule during the month of May. Five of them will come at Citizens Bank Park. The other four will come on the road.

The early months of the past two seasons haven’t been kind to Philadelphia. However, Rob Thomson’s squad has reversed the narrative.

The Phillies enter the month of May after one of the best Aprils performances in franchise history because of their ability to take advantage of a weaker schedule. They swept lesser opponents in the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox before traveling west to do the same to a more formidable San Diego Padres team.

The May 2024 schedule includes three National League East rivals. The Phillies and the New York Mets will play consecutive series with two games apiece at each respective team’s home park. It will provide a nice tune-up before the MLB London Series in June.

The Washington Nationals will host their former star Bryce Harper, and the Miami Marlins will look to stay afloat against a World Series contender in what’s been a disastrous start to 2024.

The Toronto Blue Jays might not have Joe Carter anymore, but they still provide a good draw in Philadelphia. The defending champion Texas Rangers will also visit the City of Brotherly Love.

Road series include trips to the Bay Area to face the San Francisco Giants and a Memorial Day Weekend set at Coors Field in Denver. 

The Phillies will also face the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park for one game on May 31 in the first game of a weekend series that stretches into the month of June.

The Phillies return to Citizens Bank Park after a 10-game road trip for an extended weekend set. The uncommon Friday-Monday schedule includes the featured game on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

Fans also receive the ironic Alec Bohm “I Love This Place” t-shirt on Saturday.

Gabe Kapler had been the storyline in recent Phillies-Giants series, but veteran skipper Bob Melvin replaced him this offseason.

The Giants added reigning NL Cy Young Blake Snell during spring training, but the Phillies will miss the nasty lefty during an IL stint.

The Blue Jays have a good developing group of core players led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. They’ve cracked the playoffs in three of the past four seasons.

The strangely controversial Hatfield Phillies Franks BOGO Night (NOT Dollar Dog Night) will draw a crowd for the two-game set in Philadelphia.

What percentage of the home crowd is passionate enough to hold a grudge against the visiting Jays for a fateful series loss 31 years ago?

The Phillies will get back on the road for a weekend set in Florida on May 10. The Marlins have had a disastrous start to the 2024 season that’s buried them in last place in the NL East.

Speculation surrounding Jesus Luzardo and other potential trade chips will draw more attention than the ballclub this season. A World Series hopeful team like the Phillies should push themselves to dominate a last-place team like the Marlins.

The Mets have impressively stayed in reach in an NL East race with two elite teams like the Phillies and Braves at the top. First-year manager Carlos Mendoza has squeezed some wins out of a flawed roster.

The Phillies play the front half of a four-game series at Citi Field before returning to Philadelphia. It’s the only matchup between the two division rivals before the MLB London Series on June 8 and 9.

The Phillies will make the quick drive south for the second half of the four-game set. Another New York franchise recently dominated a Philadelphia venue.

Mets fans have shown up at Citizens Bank Park in recent seasons with big numbers and passionate noise in regular-season matchups. Will they follow the precedent set by the Knicks fan base at the Wells Fargo Center?

The Nationals made it through the first month of the season with a respectable record. Many MLB analysts picked them to finish at the bottom of the NL East, but they’ve at least kept pace in what looks like a powerhouse division in 2024.

Strong starts from CJ Abrams and Jesse Winker deserve some recognition. However, the Phillies have an unquestionably stronger roster than Washington.

The defending World Series champs will travel to Citizens Bank Park for their only matchup against the Phillies in a three-game weekday set. Corey Seager didn’t get off to his strongest start in 2024. Fellow centerpiece Adolis Garcia has helped the Rangers linger toward the top of the AL West.

The Phillies will close out the homestand with two night games and a Businessperson’s Special on close-out day.

The Phillies dominated the hapless Rockies in Philadelphia in an April sweep. Weaker opponents on the early-season schedule provide an opportunity for a playoff contender to build an advantage at the top of the standings. That’s not easy to do with the regular-season juggernaut Braves in the mix.

A Memorial Day Weekend series in Denver offers the chance for a trip to one of the most beautiful downtown ballparks in the majors, if you have the means.

The series at Citizens Bank Park in early May gives both teams an opportunity to learn the competition. The Phillies will travel back to the Western time zone for the final full series of the month.

San Francisco will return the favor of uncommon start times. They’ll play two afternoon games in the City by the Bay. Monday’s game will start at 5:05pm EST, and Wednesday’s game starts at 3:45pm EST.