Philadelphia Phillies: 3 overreactions from the awful weekend sweep
By Tim Boyle
2) The Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff has major issues
Can we put too much stock into how the Phillies pitchers are performing lately? Some games just get out of hand. It seemed right as Zack Wheeler landed on the IL that everyone was able to come together briefly, only to fall completely apart shortly after.
Bailey Falter somehow has a better ERA right now than Noah Syndergaard and Kyle Gibson. Once a weapon for the team, late-season Aaron Nola will have to fight to remove his reputation as someone who struggles in September.
The Giants weren’t able to put a major hurting on the Phillies after Friday, but the pitching still wasn’t sharp. Ranger Suarez exited early on Sunday, which required Rob Thomson to turn the bullpen upside down and use a whole bunch of arms.
The Phillies began the year with an outsider’s perspective that if they were going to win, it would be with their power. This hasn’t been precisely how they have managed to achieve their goals. Pitching carried them for a large portion of the year. Specifically, it was the success of the starters and an average bullpen with some trusted arms we could rely on.
After this weekend and even the whole week, it feels a lot less like a strength and more like a bad-tasting cough syrup we need to take in order to feel better. Start pinching your nose when you watch Phillies games. It could help.