Phillies Need More From This Important Area of Their Roster

The Philadelphia Phillies have been doing very well of late and have been able to insert themselves right back into the playoff picture after the slow start. However, there are still areas for the team to improve.

As the Phillies continue to try to march up the standings, the team has seen a lot of positives of late. The turnaround from Philadelphia has been pretty remarkable, considering how poorly they started the season. It isn’t too often that a team can be 10 games under .500 and rally back toward being a contender. However, that is exactly what the Phillies are doing.

Now, since the summer months have arrived, the team will be thinking about ways to improve. They will certainly be looking for at least one bat for their lineup, but they also have a hole in the starting rotation. Despite a lot of talent, the unit on the back end hasn’t lived up to their potential.

Phillies Need More From Back End of Rotation

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola getting a new ball — Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Even though the team has been very good since Don Mattingly took over, there are some glaring issues. One of the most notable is the production from the starting rotation outside of their top three. While Jesus Luzardo had some bad outings early on this season, he has settled in of late and has pitched well. However, the back end of the unit has not.

Coming into the year, this rotation had the ability to be the best in baseball from top to bottom. While the top three have helped spark the turnaround, the combination of Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter on the back end has struggled. Recently, the Phillies sent Painter back to Triple-A to get a bit of a reset, and the hope is that he will be able to work through some struggles in the minors.

Furthermore, Nola has also not pitched well once again this year, and that is a major concern. He is still under contract for several more years, and he has been largely ineffective.

Taking Painter’s spot on Monday was 28-year-old right-hander Alan Rangel. He pitched quite well coming in after the opener on Monday, and it will be interesting to see if he is able to hold on to the spot.

Overall, despite having a lot of high-end talent in the rotation, this is a unit that needs some depth. Adding another veteran to help sure things up at the trade deadline certainly makes a lot of sense.

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