As the illustrious Meech from The Fightins pointed out, Cole Hamels has become the anti-stopper.
From @meechone:
Phillies last 13: Win, Win, Win, Win, Hamels, Win, Win, Win, Win, Hamels, Win, Win, Win. He’s the anti-stopper!
That’s just crazy. I never thought last years NLCS and WS MVP would be the pitcher we’d be most worried about heading into the stretch run of the season.
Cliff Lee has been phenomenal since coming over from Cleveland. He actually lowered his 0.82 ERA heading into his last start against the Mets to 0.62 after that game. J.A. Happ has been the leading National League ROTY candidate and hasn’t done anything to change that recently. Heavy Joe Blanton has been pitching very well and is a solid member of the rotation. The tag team of Pedro Martinez and Jamie Moyer has also been getting it done. (I think they should split the starts from here on out. Alternate who starts each 5th game and then go 4 innings each. It would be great.)
Honestly though, if the pitcher we’re most worried about is Cole Hamels (and after tonight’s game, that would now have to be Brad Lidge), I think the pitching staff is in damn good shape. Cole has plenty of starts between now and the playoffs to try and get himself together, but I’d have a hard time supporting him in a playoff rotation at this point.
I’d have to go with Lee, Happ, and then Blanton. It would be a much more intimidating rotation with Hamels in there, and I’m sure he’ll get back to last season’s form soon enough, but if he doesn’t, I still like the way a playoff rotation would shape up.
Now, about Brad Lidge…
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