Despite recent struggles, Ken Rosenthal still believes the Phillies have one of the best rotations in Major League Baseball

Before we even get into it, it’s no secret that the Philadelphia Phillies have been playing like absolute dog shit since the All-Star break.

The Fightins just got blanked at home by the Miami Marlins.

It’s bad. But not the end of the world.

They have lost four straight games and made the Marlins’ pitching staff look like World Series contenders, managing just four hits on the night. 

The Phillies are 4-7 in the month of August after a miserable 10-14 in July. 

While the Phillies and general vibes throughout the fanbase continue to reach new lows each and every night, I’m still not worried about where this team is at the midpoint of August.

They still hold a 6.5 game lead in the National League East. They are 1.5 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in the NL and have the fifth best record in all of Major League Baseball, 1.5 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in first at 71-49. 

The Major League Baseball season is filled with massive highs and crushing lows. Always. There’s no escaping the misery and thankfully for the Phillies, they played dominant baseball for the first half of this season and with absolute certainty, have the talent to turn things around over the next month and a half before things get serious in October. 

Maybe I’m crazy, but I’m definitely not the only one. Ahead of tonight’s 5-0 loss to the Miami Marlins, Ken Rosenthal was on his show  Fair Territory saying he still believes that the Phillies have one of the best rotations and pitching staffs in all of baseball, along with the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Mariners.

Ken Rosenthal: State of Rotations – Phillies Among the Best in MLB

Fair Territory!

*State of rotations – good and bad – for various contenders.

*NL rookie race

*Bregman free agency

*Cardinals future

*Four NL West teams in playoffs?

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— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 12, 2024

“Yes, they’ve struggled of late,” Rosenthal said. “Actually, they’re 19th in rotation ERA since the All-Star break. But they’ve got Walker coming back, Ranger Suárez after that. I ultimately believe they’re going to be okay.”

Ken Rosenthanl is right. Obviously. I know it’s brutal getting through the fourth and fifth starters, even more so when they are Triple A call-ups filling in for injured arms.

Come October, literally none of that matters. The Phillies rotation will rely heavily on four pitchers in Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, and Ranger Suarez. 

Literally no other rotation arm even matters in October and the bullpen, assuming the starters can limit their usage, should be just fine too. 

Ranger Suarez arm died on him and he’s been dealing with some lower back issues but that doesn’t erase what he accomplished before the All-Star break and it definitely doesn’t erase what he’s done in the postseason the past two years here in Philly.

Suarez All-Star after an incredible first half. On the season, he’s 10-5 with a 2.87 ERA in 20 starts, with 116 strikeouts and 27 walks in 119.1 innings.

The two anchors of the Phillies rotation are obviously Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola. Wheeler is 11-5 with a 2.78 ERA in 23 starts, with 156 strikeouts and 43 walks in 142.2 innings. Nola is 11-6 with a 3.60 ERA in 24 starts. He has struck out 138 and walked 37 in 147.1 innings.

The biggest surprise and arguably the Phillies’ No. 3 in the rotation would be Cristopher Sanchez. He was also named an All-Star and has posted an 8-8 record with a 3.63 ERA in 23 starts. Sanchez has 104 strikeouts and 34 walks in 131.1 innings.

Don’t even get me started on Taijuan Walker.

We can jump right to Spencer Turnbull, who should return to the Phillies’ pitching staff by late-August or early-September. Turnbull is 3-0 with a 2.65 ERA in 17 games – making seven starts this season.

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