Philadelphia Phillies Six-Man Pitching Rotation Here To Stay

Many people might have been surprised that the Philadelphia Phillies' front office decided to get a pitcher ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline.

It's safe to say that decision has worked. Michael Lorenzen in his two starts has thrown an eight inning shutout and followed that up with a no-hitter.

The Phillies were embarking on a long stretch of games that saw them playing every single day. Due to this, manager Rob Thomson said they'd go to a six man starting pitching rotation to make sure everyone was getting the proper rest.

The idea was this would be used until they got some days off and then shorten the rotation to traditional five.

However, it looks like the six man rotation is here to stay until the playoffs.

Pitching coach Caleb Cotham told The Athletic's Matt Gelb, "I’ll take the rest a little bit for the guys — with the belief that at some point we’re going to hit the gas pedal with our best."

The rest seems to be much needed for the starters who rank ninth in the MLB with a 4.04 ERA entering Monday.

Their leader in wins, Taijuan Walker, has been shelved due to poor performance and decreasing velocity. Aaron Nola has the most innings pitched since 2018 and Lorenzen has thrown his most ever pitches in a two game span.

While it seems like a logical way to keep the inning count low heading into the playoffs, there are still some drawbacks.

"There is a routine to this thing. We know that some guys are better with one day, but there’s not a lot to go on with an extra two or extra three days. Your goal is to not corrupt routines to the point where it’s a thing," Cotham said.

Philadelphia will reassess their plans for the six man rotation after their weekend series ends with the Washington Nationals. With bullpen pieces returning from injury as well, they have the flexibility to maneuver the rotation anyway they see fit.

It seems fairly obvious that continuing with six starters through the conclusion of summer would benefit this staff in the long run.

Pitching is the most important thing for a deep playoff run. The Phillies need to have their starters performing their best if they make the postseason.

Having a six man rotation would certainly help with that.

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