Growing Pains

Velasquez was shelled in Chicago Sunday.

The Phils were embarrassed by MLB-worst Atlanta, who beat them 2-out-of-3 last weekend at home, then tripped up in Detroit, where they again dropped the first 2 before salvaging the final of a 3 game set.

Then came their weekend series vs. baseball's best team, the Cubs.  The result was the Cubs first sweep of the Phils at Wrigley Field since 1995.  Nobody said it would be easy, and in many ways-- especially statistically-- the handwriting was on the wall, but nonetheless dropping 3-straight over the weekend and being swept for only the 2nd time this year (and the first since losing 3-straight in Cincinnati to start the season) must hurt for these young, battle novice Phils.

"Every team goes through a lull. Every team goes through a hot streak and a cold streak," Manager Pete Mackanin said. "How you come out of those streaks - especially the cold streaks - determines how good of a team you are. I choose to believe we're at the bottom of the roller coaster and on our way up. That's the way I look at it."

Velasquez surrendered 7 runs on 9 hits in just 4 2/3 innings.  His WHIP has ballooned to 1.25 during a May stretch where 4 of his 6 outings have been poor.  He has now given up an alarming 18 hits and 10 runs in his last 2 outings.

"When you get behind the count, you have nowhere else to throw a fastball but down the middle and then you give up home runs," Velasquez said Sunday. "It's just one of those days, I guess. You can't do anything about it. Just one of those days where they get the bat on the ball and it falls into play and you have to continue pitching."

Amazingly, at 26-24 and 2 games over .500 the Phils are at a low point since May 6th when they were 16-14 and went on to win 6 of their next 7.  That is more a testament to how overachieving these Phils have been than anything else.  They were expected to pick up where they left off last season at dead last in baseball.  Instead, they have been this season's biggest surprise, an upstart pitching first squad of wannabes and forming talent.

The Phils got the challenge they deserve and earned in Chicago.  The MLB best Cubs improved to 34-14 at their expense.  They will have no time to nurse their wounds, either, when they return home to open a 3-game series against the NL East leading Nationals (30-21) Monday night.  While the schedule was made long before the Phils proved themselves with 24 wins to 13 losses from April 9th to May 18th, that winning run earned them this stretch of challengers they were anyways destined to meet.

David Hernandez has been a great surprise in relief.

Since May 18th, however, the Phils have gone 2-7 and are suddenly beginning to look like the team everybody was reading between the lines to predict would fall on their collective face.  After being outscored 17-5 in the 3 games they lost over the weekend in Chicago, the Phils have MLB's 5th-worst run differential at -43.  They have scored the 2nd fewest runs in baseball at 160.  Yet, they still posses baseball's 14th best record at 26-24 (.520 win %), while the teams with worse run differentials this season are a collective 67-132 (.337 win %).

Much of this can be attributed to the terrific pitching they have had.  That wasn't the case from the 3 Phils starting pitchers in this series.  However, a silver lining was the bullpen, which pitched 9 1/3 shutout innings over the 3 games for a 3.58 ERA thusfar this season, including a terrific run of allowing only 3 earned runs in its last 22 1/3 innings of work for a 1.21 ERA during that span.

Monday at Citizens Bank:

Phillies RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-3, 3.97 ERA)
vs.
Washington RHP Tanner Roark (3-4, 2.71 ERA) to begin an 11-game homestand.

Phils Face Stretch of Open Road

Philadelphia shut out Atlanta 5-0 on Sunday behind one of Jerad Eickhoff's best games of the year.  It was the Phillies' MLB-leading 7th shutout this season, which matches their total for all of last year.

SS Delvin Perez projects as a 1st round draft pick.

Sources say that the Phillies set up a private pre-draft workout Thursday with Delvin Perez, a 17-yr-old shortstop from Puerto Rico in preparation for their #1 overall pick in the June 9-11, 2016 draft in NJ. Sources say the Phils are "struggling" under the weight of their decision and are contemplating a plethora of candidates.

Perez is tall, lanky, exceptional defensively and speedy on the base-paths. However, it's questionable whether his hitting is big league ready:

"His defense is obviously there," a top MLB scout said. "It'll take time to see how much he hits. It's the hardest thing to project, because it's the hardest thing to do. But he's where he needs to be with his speed and defense."

"I'm very focused on what I'm doing," Perez said. "And I'm ready."

It's difficult to know where Perez will fit into the Phillies system.  Obviously, at age 17, he will be a minor leaguer for a while, but just how long?

Crawford's patient maturity at the plate astounds scouts.

After all, the Phillies already have the top ranked shortstop in all of the minor leagues, one who is likely to see a promotion to the majors sometime this season: J.P. Crawford.

Crawford hit .265 with a 12.1% walk rate, 5 home runs and 7 stolen bases over 405 plate appearances in the high-minors in ’15. The shortstop was also heralded as an “assured defensive shortstop with soft hands and smooth actions [and] a plus arm,” by Baseball Prospectus.

ESPN bumped Crawford up to #2 on the MLB prospect list this week behind  #1 Washington Nationals starting pitching prospect Lucas Giolito:

"Crawford has continued to control the strike zone at an unusual level for his age -- he'll play the entire season at 21 -- and earned a promotion to Triple-A last week, even though his average was just .265 for Reading. He's still an outstanding defensive shortstop with great instincts, though now that he's at a higher level, I'd like to see him get a little more aggressive when ahead in the count because he has good bat speed and a little more power than you'd expect from a middle infielder."

Crawford in spring training vs. Yankees (3/3/16).

However, GM Matt Klentak and the organization on a whole are not in a rush to promote Crawford. Refreshingly gone is the must-win-now pressure Reuben Amaro Jr. was forced to operate under after inheriting the winning fever that comes with 5-straight division titles and 2 World Series births.

The Phillies will play 12 out of their next 16 games against 2 of the best teams in the NL:  The Cubs (ranked #1) and Nationals (ranked #3).  It will not only be a test of their strength, it is a stretch of games that will answer some crucial questions about the team's present and future.

All season long, the 2016 Phillies have been somewhat of a walking contradiction.  Are they the team that can't score runs or the team with the blockbuster pitching?  Are they the team with the horrid run differential with all the luck in 1-run games propping up their record or are they the best turnaround story in baseball, knocking on First Place during a self-declared rebuilding year?

All of this, of course, is a conglomeration of the truth.  Therefore, the win-loss results of the next 16 games will define their immediate future.

General manager Matt Klentak has already declared that he will be a buyer at the July 31st trade deadline if the Phils still posses a winning record at that time.

Bruce has hit .476 with 2 HR in 21 AB vs. Phils in his career.

There is a legitimate rumor that the Phils may try to  upgrade their offense by acquiring Reds OF Jay Bruce if still in competition at the trade deadline.

Bruce, 29, has hit 216 HR, all with Cincinnati since he debuted in 2008, the year the Phils won it all.  He has hit at least 20 HR in all but 1 season ('14, he hit 18 HR), including 30+ from 2011-2013.  He is batting .263 and on-pace to hit 28 HR and drive in 100 RBI this season.

The Reds are non-competitive at 15-31 (3rd worst in MLB) and are looking to unload Bruce and his over $12 million dollar salary.

The Phillies should avoid Bruce like the plague.  The last thing they need is another aging slugger who is 1 injury away from an ineffective albatross.  Furthermore, Bruce hit .217 in '14 and .226 in '15 and his OBP (.281/.294/.317 in last 3 seasons) is putrid.  Is that the kind of black hole you want eating up the cleanup spot until he ages his way out of the lineup?  One hopes Klentak and co. have learned the lesson of the RyHo extended contract disaster (which Yahoo Sports called Thursday, "The worst contract ever") of 2010, which the Phillies are still paying for, literally and figuratively.

Utley comes home August 16th.

Well, this stretch of games, which will leave the Phils just under a month from the end of the First Half of the season, will be one of their toughest of the season-- and it doesn't get easier from there.

In the 2nd half of the season, the Phils schedule is arguably the toughest in all of baseball.  They will have a pair of series against the AL Central's First-Place White Sox, a plethora of games against MLB elite division rivals the Mets and Washington, a series vs. 2nd-place Pittsburgh, the NL West First-Place Giants, St. Louis (leading the NL in runs) and 6 games against the Dodgers, including Chase Utley's sure to be emotional homecoming on August 16th at Citizens Bank Park.

Phils GM has to be happy with what he's seen, yet patient.

There is no doubt that if the Phils are to remain standing when the smoke clears at the end of September, they will need not only strength but reinforcements.  That help must come in the form of bats.  Big bats.  Bats that can bring in runs with one swing.  One potential place that relief can appear is from the minor leagues.  The other is through a trade.  Klentak is no dummy.  He knows that the Phils will have to prove themselves, that they'll have to wade through some tough competition to reach July 31st still winners.  It's trial and error.  Lose and go back to the drawing board, waiting for the nucleus to gel over an indefinite amount of time before getting another chance to make a run at the playoffs.  Win and get immediate help that could result in a real shot at October glory.  That trial starts now.

Friday, the Phils will begin a weekend series at Wrigley Field in Chicago against MLB's best team, the Cubs, 31-14, 14-6 at home.  Hopefully, the Phils are saying their prayers.

Fri, May 27	Cubs vs Philadelphia	2:20 PM		Lester (4-3)	Morgan (1-2)
Sat, May 28	Cubs vs Philadelphia	2:20 PM		Hendricks (2-4)	Eickhoff (2-6)
Sun, May 29	Cubs vs Philadelphia	2:20 PM		Lackey (4-2)	Velasquez (5-1)

Phils Slip to Third Place

GM Klentak plans to be buyer at trade deadline.

The Phils were in a virtual tie for first place Thursday night in the surprisingly wide-open NL East. Cautious GM Matt Klentak was even saying he would be a buyer at the trade deadline if the team still had a winning record, but asserted that he won't compromise the rebuilding effort that has taken an astonishingly ahead-of-schedule appearance.

So, it was all perfect table-setting for a 3-game series against the horrendous Braves.  Atlanta arrived at Citizens Bank Park Friday with a NL worst 10-30 record; 12th out of 15 teams in pitching and dead last 15th (behind the #14 Phils) in hitting.  Off to one of the worst starts in their history, they fired manager Fredi Gonzalez on Tuesday and have yet to replace him.

The Phils even had team ace Aaron Nola opening the series Friday, seemingly irrelevantly, as the then 8-3 in past 11 games Phils were about to feast on the then 3-11 in past 14 games Braves.

However, an opportunity to pad their record has turned into a nightmarish weekend for the Phils.  Their inability to score runs caught up with them against a Braves team seemingly inept at all fronts.  The Phils were beaten at home 7-1 Friday, then shutout 2-0 Saturday.

Don't blame him: Nola continues to shine.

While Aaron Nola took the loss Friday, he actually only surrendered 2 earned runs over 7 innings, S.O. 6 and walked 2, actually lowering his ERA to 2.85 and 2.00 in May.  He's now 3-3 with still the 3rd best WHIP (0.90) and 7th most S.O. (64) in the NL.   

It was Phils 3B Maikel Franco Friday who made a pair of errors, including a costly throwing miscue in the 7th inning that resulted in 3 unearned runs. He came in with only 2 previous errors all season.

"It's part of the game, so I just try to forget that day and try to come in tomorrow and do my best for my teammates," Franco said.

Two former Phils had a hand in their defeat in the first 2 games of the 3-game series:

Braves leadoff hitter Chase d'Arnaud had a career-high three hits Saturday and is 5-for-8 in the series, his return to Philadelphia, where he played last year.

LF Jeff Francoeur, also a Phillies player in 2015, led off the 4th inning with a single that sparked the rally for the only 2 runs Atlanta would score-- or need-- Saturday.

Manager Pete Mackanin

"Not a real good night," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Friday.  Too bad the Phils came out without showing up Saturday to compound their weekend hangover.

After dropping two at home to the woeful Braves, the Phils fell from 1/2 game out of First Place to 2 games out and now in Third Place behind Washington and the Mets.

After consecutive last-place finishes in 2014 and 2015, the Phils have now gone 17 innings without scoring after losing the first two games of the Atlanta series. The Phillies have totaled eight hits with 17 strikeouts and four walks, and failed to bat with a single runner in scoring position Saturday.

The Phils now have the infamous distinction of scoring the fewest runs per game in the NL.  Atlanta, who has just posted 9 runs in 2 games against them, is averaging 3.3 runs per game, while the Phils are dead last at 3.2 runs-per-game.  It's a testament to the small miracle their #5 ranked pitching staff has managed to pull off that they were 24-17, a half-game out of First and looking to be buyers at the trade deadline entering this series.

ESPN's lead baseball analyst and former Philadelphia local sports writer Jayson Stark even handed the Phils the Surprise Team Award on Thursday:

"Before Opening Day, Baseball Prospectus played out the season 1 million times, based on its PECOTA projections. The Phillies were the only team in baseball that was given a zero percent chance to win the World Series (although, to be technical, that was just because they computed to have less than one-tenth of a 1 percent chance). Then, however, the real season started. And something crazy happened: When those same Phillies hit that magical 40-game mark, they were six games over .500 (23-17). They also had a minus-30 run differential. So how many other teams since 1900 had a record that good and a run differential that lopsided after 40 games? Right you are. That would be none, according to baseball-reference.com. What a story this team is."

He rightfully mentioned: Odubel Herrera in his first quarter baseball notables: 

"The Phillies' hyperactive center fielder walked exactly 28 times last season -- in 537 trips to the plate. He already has walked 29 times this season -- in 174 trips to the plate. That's because Herrera somehow has improved his walk rate from 5.2 percent last year to 16.7 percent this year. And how improbable is that? Here's how improbable. Only one player since 1900 has had his walk rate jump by more than 10 percent in one year. That player was Barry Lamar Bonds in 2003-04. Except that Bonds was helped slightly in his quest by those 120 intentional walks he got in 2004. Herrera has been honored with two intentional walks. In his career. Go figure."

Herrera has brought stability to CF and the top of the order.

Herrera has been #2 in OBP and #6 in batting average for much of the season.  Additionally, his power has swelled, and he's already half way to his 2015 HR total of 8 and is on pace to hit 15 HR this year.

Herrera, however, missed Wednesday's game with a sore back and returned Friday only to go 0-for-3 and not appear healthy.  Then, Saturday, the normally stellar gloved CF appeared to misjudge the ball and then tried to make a diving catch, which cost the Phils.  Herrera was not charged with an error, but could have been.  The Braves scored both of their runs as a result of his mistake.  Herrera clearly isn't healthy.

The 2 wins in Philly have secured the Braves only their 2nd series win of 2016.  The Phils will try to salvage one Sunday with Jerad Eickhoff on the mound.  Unfortunately, Eickhoff (1-6, 4.44 ERA) is 0-5 with a 5.45 ERA in his last 6 games with opponents hitting .293 against him.

"Just trying to make little adjustments from last outing," Eickhoff said. "Curve was not effective, two-seamer had good life. Slider is a big pitch for me."

To make matters worse, Braves left-handed hitters love to hit him hard:

Braves Kelly Johnson is 4 for 8 against him and Freddie Freeman is 3 for 5 with a homer. They will be eager to face a pitcher who is allowing left-handed hitters to bat .324.

Read more Phils coverage here: http://phantasticphillies.blogspot.com/

Velasquez Hurls Phils to 1/2 Game from First

Velasquez S.O. 2 batters per inning Tuesday.

After Tuesday's 3-1 win over Miami, the Phillies are 23-17 and only 1/2 game out of First Place. Amazingly, only one NL team (MLB's best Cubs) has won more games than the rebuilding upstart Phils.  40 games into the season, the Phillies are defying all expectations for what their ceiling could be, both internal and across the baseball world.  ESPN reluctantly ranked them 13th in baseball, held back from higher because of a combination of their limp offense, poor run differential and the cloud of doubts that linger over Citizens Bank Park.

"We can't force culture to develop," GM Matt Klentak said a few days ago. "But when it starts to develop, we can do our best to let it happen. And that's what's happening right now. It's a young team. They're playing hard. They believe every night that they can compete. Most nights, we do compete."

Catcher Cameron Rupp added: "We wanted to come out and play and have fun. Anything we do is going to be a positive after last year. I think we've surprised everybody."

"Surprise" is an understatement.

Everyone is holding their breath waiting for the Phils to fall back down to Earth.  The strength of their pitching, which ranks 6th in the NL has been something of a revelation.  The quality young arms currently flourishing in the rotation is the best sign for future success of Philadelphia baseball in a long time.  The cohesiveness and consistency of the bullpen is the most pleasantly unexpected success of the first quarter of the season.

The Phillies are 2 S.O. shy of the best in the NL (Washington).

Velasquez made history with a 16 S.O. shutout on 4/14.

Vince Velasquez, who struck out 10 Marlins (including the side in the 2nd) over 5 shutout innings Tuesday, has been remarkable.  “There’s riding life in the zone with his fastball,” Padres manager Andy Green said of him after he K'd 16 Padres on 4/14. “It was explosive, reminds me of when I saw Scherzer going as well as he goes, and that fastball is literally exploding through the zone.”

"We really like him. He's going to be special," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Tuesday.

Velasquez is 3rd in the NL in wins (knotted at 5-1 with baseball's best pitcher Clayton Kershaw), 7th in S.O., 6th in WHIP and 8th in ERA.  He'll turn just 23 on June 7th.

And he's not even their best starting pitcher.  Aaron Nola, who coincidentally will turn 23 only 3 days before Velasquez does, is the Phils-- and one of baseball's-- best.

It's impossible to think that anyone, even the Phils themselves, could have conceived of this level of success in the standings at this point in the season before the season started.  Experts are struggling to justify it now when you take a closer look at the numbers: 14-3 in one run games, a run differential of -30...

Yet, the Phils are the hottest team in their division with 7 wins in their last 10 games and find themselves knocking on the door of the Nationals for First Place.

Gomez has been terrific, but can it last?

Jeanmar Gomez has a career ERA of  4.08 and WHIP of 1.40.  In his worst season for his previous 2 teams (Pittsburgh and Cleveland), he posted a 5.96 ERA ('12 with Cleveland) and walked almost as many as he struck out. He should certainly be expected to fall down to Earth.  In fact, the writing is on the wall that he already has.  After surrendering a walk and 2 hits in the 9th inning Tuesday, he recorded his MLB leading 15th save.  However, while his April ERA was 1.80, his ERA in May is 4.05.

Guess who leads the AL in saves?  If you answered Ryan Madson, you cheated.  Madson, who will turn 36 this summer, has pitched just 17 innings for the Oakland A's this year, but has completed 11 saves in 11 tries, while posting a 1.02 ERA.  Last season, Madson helped the K.C. Royals win the World Series.  In 2008, he was instrumental when the Phils did the same.

Tommy Joseph's 1st HR was a "bullet."

Tuesday night, big First Baseman Tommy Joseph batted cleanup for the Phils.  Joseph landed his first major-league hit Monday night when he batted in the 5-spot.  In his first at-bat on Tuesday, he hit his first HR (just inside the LF foul pole, described by the announcer as "a bullet"), then added a single to right in the 4th and a full-count RBI single to CF in the 6th, which led to another run.

His parents were at Citizens Bank for his 1st HR:  "It's nice for them to be here, and I get to share this moment with them," Joseph said.

Joseph was 3-for-3 out of the cleanup spot and the Phils led 3-0.  In his final at bat in the bottom of the 8th, Joseph S.O,. on 4 pitches against Miami reliever Dustin McGowan, but it was a very impressive step up to the #4 spot for Joseph.

Joseph, 24, was traded to the Phillies as part of a return package in '12 for OF Hunter Pence, who went on to win 2 World Series with the S.F. Giants.  The Phillies have seen little return on that trade (they acquired Joseph with Nate Schierholtz and Seth Rosin).  However, after posting a .347 average and a .611 slugging % with 6 HR and 7 2B in his 1st 95 AB of the season, Joseph earned a promotion from AAA Lehigh Valley to the majors on May 13th.  So far, the 6-1, 254 pound (he says he lost 25 lbs. since last season, when he finished with a .193 batting average) 1B has 4 hits in his 1st major league 10 AB and, like so many of the young faces on the field for the Fightin', proving competitive and fun to watch.

Neris has been intimidating and dominant.

A pivotal part of that picture has been 26 year-old Dominican reliever Hector Neris.  Manager Pete Mackanin has said Neris has "closer stuff," perhaps hinting at his future role with the Phils.  In the meantime, Neris has been torching the NL as a set-up man for Gomez.  In 24 innings, he's allowed just 10 hits, has S.O. 33 and boasts a team-leading 0.71 WHIP and now has a towering 75 S.O. to 17 walks in his young career.  Tuesday, Neris S.O. the side on 16 pitches in the 8th to set-up closer Gomez and lower his ERA to 1.50.

Phillies pitchers stuck out 17 Marlins to even their best-of-3 series at 1-apiece.  The deciding game will be played Wednesday at 1:05 PM in Philadelphia.  Jeremy Hellickson (3-2, 4.12 ERA), coming off a shutout vs. Cincinnati will oppose Tom Koehler (2-3, 5.14 ERA), who is coming off 2 excellent outings, including 5/7 vs. the Phils: 7 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 2 BB, 8 S.O.

The Phillies will have the day off Thursday, before opening a 3-game weekend home-stand against MLB-worst Atlanta (9-29) with ace Aaron Nola on the mound.

Nola, Phils Reach Milestone

Aaron Nola will turn 23 on June 4th.  Already, at age 22, he is one of baseball's best pitchers.  There's every reason to believe he will keep getting better.  After all, he has been before our eyes with every new day on the mound.  Another milestone in a brilliant young career came Saturday.  The movement on his pitches during a 3-2 win in Philadelphia Saturday was incredible.  Nola set a new career-high by striking out 9 Reds in his 7 innings of work.  He walked 1 and allowed only 1 earned run.

He threw pitches that dove in on guys, down near their ankles and ended up in the catcher's mitt for called strike 3 like a magic trick.  (Who could blame them for gawking?)  He threw pitches that dove and sunk, rose and cut.  He made them miss, and he froze them.

Nola is 3-0 with a 1.32 ERA in his last 5 starts.  His 0.85 WHIP is #3 in the NL behind 3-time Cy Young Clayton Kershaw and defending Cy Young Jake Arrieta.  He is #5 in the NL in S.O. behind Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Madison Bumgarner.  Don't be surprised to read Nola's name mentioned alongside those elite superstar pitchers, get used to it.

Meteoric rise: Phils drafted Nola at #7 in 2014.

"He has a great way about him," his manager Mackanin said Saturday. "He knows how to make adjustments. He's a lot of fun to watch."

Nola's command is enthralling.  His days on the mound worth savoring,  His S.O./BB ratio (6.44/1) is nearly Kershaw-like.  He has S.O. 58 while walking 9 (#3 in the NL).

The Phillies are now 1 game out of First Place after winning 6-out-of-7 again.  They completed a 5-5 10-game road trip and are 2-0 at home since.  They have the 4th ranked pitching staff in the NL, but are next to last in offense.

The rebuilding Phillies are inconceivably 22-15 and 22-11 since opening the season 0-4.  It's true that they're a MLB-best 14-3 in one-run games, which many cite alongside their -25 run differential to prove that they're not as good as their record.  However, it's also true that at the nearly quarter point in the season their record is better than its been at any point since they finished 2011 a franchise best-ever 102-60.

The Phils play 1 more at home against the Reds, then host division foes Miami and Atlanta for 3-games each.

Nola, Phils Win Again

Ryan Howard went long (415 feet to right center), his 6th in the 6th off Michael Wacha and starting pitcher Aaron Nola made it stick with 7 strong shutout innings to give the Phils a 1-0 win in St. Louis in the 2nd of a 10-game road trip.

Nola seems better with every pitch.

After a scoreless 9th, Jeanmar Gomez is now 9-for-9 in saves (2nd in MLB).  Recently, he said of the closer role, "I don’t think too much about that.  I just focus on my pitches, focus on keeping the ball down and making quality pitches.”

Aaron Nola was majestic.  St. Louis is the #1 ranked offense in all of baseball.  They lead MLB in batting average (.275), HR (40), Total Bases (446), SLG % (.487), OPS (.836) and Runs scored (153).

Tuesday, Aaron Nola surrendered just 2 hits, muting the Cardinals over 7 dominant innings in St. Louis.  He walked 1, while striking out 7.  His control was astounding.  He threw a remarkable 76 of his 111 pitches for strikes.

He has now S.O. 44 batters so far this year (#4 in all of MLB).  His WHIP has fallen to 0.80 (also #4 in MLB).  He is the best young pitcher Philadelphia has seen in a long, long time.  To put it in perspective, the pitchers who have struck out more batters or posted a better WHIP than Nola this year are a whose-who of major league pitching stars:

Madison Bumgarner, S.F. Giants. 2015 Salary: $6,916,667.  Claim to fame: WS, NLCS MVP '15

Clayton Kershaw, L.A. Dodgers. 2015 Salary: $31,000,000.  Claim to fame: 2014 NL MVP, Cy Young: 2014, 2013, 2011

David Price, Boston.  2015 Salary: $19,750,000.  Claim to fame: 2012 Cy Young

Jake Arrietta, Cubs.  2015 Salary: $3,630,000.  Claim to fame: 2015 Cy Young.

Drew Smyly, Tampa Bay.  2015 Salary: $2,650,000.  Claim to fame: Silly name.

Noah Syndergaard, 23 years-old, 2016 salary: $531,875.  Claim to fame:  Looks like superhero Thor.  After 2015 Worlds Series splash, widely considered one of baseball's best young arms.

Well, count Nola in.

Nola set the bar high, yet keeps getting better.

Nola is making around $600,000 in 2016.  He was taken #7 overall by the Phils in the 1st round of the 2014 draft.  He has been fantastic ever since.  In his debut 7/21/15, he allowed 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and S.O. 6 in 6 innings.  He is 7-4 in his young career.

He has now gone 20-consecutive shutout innings, allowing just 6 hits and 4 walks, while striking out 21 over that span. The best is yet to come.

The Phillies are now 10-2 in their last 12.  They are 16-11 and have gone 16-7 since their 0-4 start.  They gained a full game on First Place Tuesday, when Washington and the Mets each lost, leaving the Phils just 2 1/2 back in the NL East.  The Phillies have the 6th best record, yet have produced the 4th fewest runs in all of baseball.  That is thanks, of course, to their awesome young starters and surprisingly effective bullpen.

The Phils young guns trio of starters, Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez and Jerad Eickhoff helped the Phils set a MLB record of strikeouts per 9 innings in April.

Their strikeout-to-walk ratio is: Aaron Nola, 44-7, Jerad Eickhoff, 32-5 and Vince Velasquez, 39-10.  That's 115 S.O. to just 22 walks-- and it's May 3rd-- and that's just 3 guys.

What the Phils have is lightening in a bottle: dominant young starting pitching.  Eickhoff is 25, Velasquez 23 and Nola 22.

Velasquez, Phils young arms firing everyone up.

Now, it's true that Houston dealt Velasquez because they doubted his post-Tommy John ability to stay healthy for the long haul.  Time will tell.

And yes, much is being made about the Phils poor run differential (the accumulative amount they score vs. the amount opponents score against them), which is 9th worst in all of baseball.  They have been outscored by 22 runs in their 1st 27 games and have been outscored 10-4 in the 1st 2 games of their current series in St. Louis, although they won 1 and lost 1 of those games.

However, that is missing the bigger picture.  Nobody took the Phils to win the World Series this season.  In fact, almost all 'experts' took them to finish dead last.

Yet, here they are, creeping into some experts 'Top 10'.

They can't score, but they can compete.  They won't beat you with the long ball (although Howard did Tuesday for old times sake in his home town), but man will they make you whiff.

Ask any owner, any manager, any player, any 'expert,'  "What's the one component you would choose to build a team around?"  The answer across the board will be, "Starting pitching."

Eickhoff is Phils 3rd Young Gun in rotation.

The Phils, in an unlikely short amount of rebuilding time, have a foundation for future winning.  Instead of showing concern for their run differential as though the house of cards is about to topple, enjoy the ride and remember nights like Tuesday, when future all-star, perhaps future NLCS MVP Aaron Nola took the mound on a cloudy night in St. Louis the 1st week of May in front of 40,000 baseball devotees and S.O. 7 (mostly) World Series winning batters.

Remember Rollins-Utley-Howard and Hamels when they were emerging.  In 2006, when the team shed high-paid stars OF Bobby Abreu and RP Rheal Cormier for what they saw as a long term rebuilding effort, nobody would have predicted the Phils would win the division or make the playoffs the next year, but they did both.

That's not to say this team is a replica of that one or that in 2 years these Phils will win the World Series, which those Phils did.

It's that the excitement that this team is now generating is awesome-- and it's for real.  As is the nucleus of pitching talent on display, which is as good a young core as the Phils have displayed in a long time.

The Phils have 2 more games in St. Louis, where they split the first 2.