Roy Oswalt Returns: Should the Philadelphia Phillies Go With a 6-Man Rotation?

With Roy Oswalt returning to the Philadelphia Phillies’ starting rotation earlier this week, it’s time for the Phillies to utilize a six-man rotation. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Vance Worley, Kyle Kendrick and Oswalt would be arguably the best six-man rotation in MLB history.

When the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee in the offseason, we knew that they would have an excellent starting rotation, and they have not disappointed us fans.

The team has a season ERA of 3.04, 14 complete games, 15 shutouts, 78 quality starts and 282 walks—all of which are the best of any team in the MLB.

While these numbers suggest that the team has not had any problems with their rotation, that is not entirely true.

Roy Oswalt has had two leaves from the team: the first for personal issues ad the second for an injury. Joe Blanton was supposed to be the fifth starter—and one of the best fifth starters we have ever seen—but he struggled at first, and he was injured when he seemed to be getting back on track. Blanton was replaced by Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick.

Kendrick was coming from the bullpen and needed time to adjust, while Worley was coming from Triple-A and was ready to step up. The two have been starters in the rotation at times, and they have recently been the fourth and fifth-starters in the rotation. The two have both done very well as starters this season. Worley is 8-1 with an ERA of 2.85 and a WHIP of 1.17, while Kendrick is 7-5 with an ERA of 3.26 and a WHIP of 1.27 as both a starter and a reliever.

Worley has been stellar all season, while Kendrick has turned it on as of late, including an eight-inning shutout in his last start.

With Oswalt coming back, the team is looking to their $16 million pitcher to return to form as an ace. That meant that either Kendrick or Worley needed to be removed from the rotation. The Phillies decided to return Kendrick to the bullpen, but that is not their best option.

Kendrick has proven that he is a viable option at starter. He would in no way be a weak link that would hold them back from the playoffs, or even the best record in the MLB. This means that the Phillies have six pitchers that would be a third-starter or better on most rotations, and they need to go with a six-man rotation for the rest of the 2011 MLB season.

A six-man rotation would work just as well as a five-man rotation, but obviously that is not the only reason that the Phillies should switch to a six-man rotation.

The Phillies must switch to a six-man rotation in order to rest their best starters. Of their four aces, Lee is 32, Oswalt is 33 and has had injury problems and Halladay is 34 and does not have the same stamina as he has had before.

Oswalt surrendered 12 hits and two walks in only six innings pitched. He had a WHIP of 2.33, and he was hit pretty hard by the San Francisco Giants, who have only scored only 405 runs and are hitting only .241 this season. Oswalt struggled, and he certainly needs more time to rest while recovering from his injury so that he does not re-injure himself.

Halladay has been working incredibly hard this season by throwing a lot of pitches. He is going to need some rest so that he does not burn out in the playoffs. Halladay has made 24 starts, throwing less than 100 in only three, and less than 97 in only one. He has worked hard for years, but he seems to be working even more this season than in the past, and he is obviously the oldest he has been. Aging leads to a lack of stamina for most people, and Halladay is going to need some rest. It would be preferable for him to get that rest now instead of in September.

While rest is something that older pitchers definitely need, it can go a long way for younger pitchers too. Pitching on five days’ rest instead of four produces great results, and it could be good for younger pitchers like Hamels who is 27, Kendrick who is 26 and Worley who is 23.

These three pitchers need rest almost as much as Halladay, Oswalt and Lee do. A six-man rotation would be a great way to save the pitchers’ arms from wear and tear that occurs during a 162-game regular season. They would be well-rested for the postseason, and that is what matters most to the Phillies right now.

The Phillies are almost guaranteed to make it into the postseason. They lead the NL East by 8.5 games over the Atlanta Braves, and they would lead the NL Wild Card by 13.5 games if passed by the Braves. Their pitching staff and newly-enhanced offense will carry them to the postseason no matter how many pitchers are in their starting rotation, so it is important to rest their pitchers for the postseason.

It appears that going to a six-man rotation would give the Phillies the best chance to win in the postseason while saving their pitchers from injuries that could hurt their seasons or their career. It is the best thing that the Phillies can do right now.

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