Last time the Phillies threw back to back complete games? May 1999 with Paul Byrd and Curt Schilling (Oh, you saw that graphic at the bottom of the screen too? Good for you!) Is asking for back to back complete game SHUTOUTS being greedy? It's been said again and again, but this pitching staff is really good at baseball. Scary good. May never lose a series good. Might not lose back to back games good. GOOD.
Worried about the bullpen still? They've thrown 32.2 innings so far this season... out of 106. That means that even when you factor in the clunkers by Hamels and Lee and the two by Blanton, the staff is still averaging 6.1 IP and a 4.05 ERA. Which means even with 4 terrible games, they still basically average a quality start! It's comical to once you realize that the best is still yet to come from these guys. Who needs a bullpen? Rich Dubee has the EASIEST JOB IN THE WORLD!
The 1998 Braves rotation of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, Denny Neagle, and Kevin Millwood are commonly referred to as the strongest rotation in baseball history. Through 12 games, their Braves were 6-6.
Twelve games and four series into the season and the Phillies offense is just as impressive. 6 of the starting 8 are still sitting above .300. They lead baseball in OBP. They're scattering hits to all parts of the field, they're hitting balls hard, and they aren't striking out. And all of this without Chase Utley (who coincidentally started running drills today in the outfield at Nationals Park.)
While the pre-season favorite from the AL sits at 2-9 with and Red Sox Nation starts to panic, the Phillies march into a weekend series against the Marlins who toss Javier Vazquez, Anibal Sanchez, and Chris Volstad (combined 1-3 with a 7.23 ERA). Even with our arguably weakest lineup of Oswalt, Hamels, and Blanton I like our chances.
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