Roy Oswalt Leaves Phils: Is the “Best Rotation in History” Struggling?

Recent reports have told us that Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Oswalt is taking a leave from the team for a period of unknown length due to tornadoes hitting close to his Mississippi home.

Oswalt is 3-1 this season with a 3.33 ERA. These numbers may seem good enough, but he is only averaging just over five innings per start.

Oswalt threw three very poor innings in his start Tuesday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He let up five runs on six hits and a walk, and he did not strike out a single batter Tuesday.

“His stuff wasn’t good,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “His stuff wasn’t crisp and his velocity was down. I figured there was no sense in leaving him out there.”

The Phillies are guaranteed to lose their second of three series (Brewers, Padres and Diamondbacks), and people are wondering: Are the Phillies really as good as we expected?

Let’s look at the Phillies’ rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt (gone), Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton.

Roy Halladay has performed well, posting a 3-1 record and a 2.41 ERA in 2011, and he tied his career high in strikeouts with 14 against the Padres in his last start. Halladay is definitely performing well.

Cliff Lee was the Phillies’ key acquisition this offseason, and he has some high expectations to live up to after his postseason success and signing a big contract. Lee has not lived up to the hype this time, however, with a record of 2-2 and an ERA of 4.18 despite pitching a shutout this season.

The former Ranger’s numbers are not good enough for the team, and he is looking poor, with an ERA a run higher than his ERA of last season. Lee’s expectations were higher than realistic, but he has not pitched anywhere near what realistic expectations would be.

Roy Oswalt has pitched poorly and has left the team for an unannounced period of time. However, the team has said that he MIGHT be back for his next start.

Cole Hamels had a terrible first start against the New York Mets, letting up six earned runs in 2.2 innings. Since then, however, Hamels has pitched at least seven innings in his starts and has only given up two earned runs in 22.0 innings pitched.

Hamels now has a 2-1 record and an ERA of 2.92 for the 2011 campaign.

Joe Blanton is the odd man out in the starting rotation, being that he is the only pitcher who isn’t an ace. Blanton has been, well, horrible. He is posting a 0-1 record and an ERA of 5.92. If the season ended today, that would be Blanton’s worst ERA of his career. Blanton is only pitching about six innings per game, and he is making the bullpen work a lot.

The Phillies’ starting rotation currently has a total record of 10-6 and an ERA of 3.54.

These numbers aren’t bad for a starting rotation; in fact, they are pretty good. The Phillies’ rotation gives the team a chance to win, and they are still one of the best in baseball.

Is Philadelphia’s rotation falling apart? No, it still has good pitching, and when Oswalt comes back and Lee improves his numbers, as he will, the team will still be terrific and a sure bet for the postseason.

Is Philadelphia’s rotation historically good, though? Probably not, but it is good enough to make it to the postseason with no problem.

The Phillies’ rotation is not falling apart—it is just not living up to the unrealistic expectations placed on it by the media and fans.

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