Philadelphia Phillies Newcomer Shines in First Start With Team

All eyes were on Philadelphia Phillies' newly acquired starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen when he took the mound on Thursday night.

After getting him in a trade with the Detroit Tigers before the deadline, there were high expectations placed on the All-Star to come in and perform for the Phillies in the middle of their playoff race.

Coming into their four game series with the Marlins, Philadelphia was a half game out of the final Wild Card spot. Entering their weekend series with the Kansas City Royals, they are now one game up in the second Wild Card position after winning three out of four games against their divisional opponent.

The series was capped by Lorenzen taking the mound in the finale.

He lived up to the expectations in his first start. The righty allowed two runs on six hits over his season high, eight innings pitched.

The pitching performance allowed the Phillies to win the game 4-2 and gave them some cushion heading into their series with MLB's second worst team, the Royals.

As far as the big picture goes, he will eat up many of the innings that would have gone to the bullpen if he hadn't come to Philadelphia.

There are still only three pitchers who have started over 20 games. With Ranger Suarez back in the rotation after his injury and Lorenzen on the roster, the Phillies will soon have five pitchers with over 20 starts.

Preserving the bullpen will be key for Philadelphia down the stretch and into the playoffs. Right now, they have the ninth best ERA in the MLB with a 3.77, so the addition of a quality starter should help keep their bullpen one of the best in the league.