Bobby W after Rockies/Phillies game one turned into an unexpected pitcher’s duel:

Horrendous win, but we’ll take it. Aaron Nola looked great, giving up just four hits and one run in a little more than seven full innings of work. He struck out nine batters and walked just one. He’s only given up three earned runs in three starts since the Braves blew him up back in March.

If you want to take it a step further, only the Red Sox and Royals have a better collective ERA among their starters. The Phillies have gotten 94.2 innings out of their rotation, which is 5th in MLB and a good indicator of how they’re able to consistently give you 5-6+ innings on a regular basis. They’re tied with the Dodgers for 99 strikeouts among starters, though LA has played two more games, so really it’s the Phils with the best per game number across the entire league.

Makes you wonder where they’d be if the offense didn’t currently reek. The Phils are 24th with a .652 OPS and batting .231 as a team, which is tied for 21st in Major League Baseball. They’re dead last with 12 doubles and it’s the really the top 10 number of both walks and stolen bases that’s helping them scratch out just enough offense to get through these games. They’re 9-8, not a terrible start considering how the last few years have gone, but they could easily be 10-7 or 11-6, maybe better if the bats woke up early. They’re still in ursine hibernation mode. You just hope that when the offense does get going, the pitching doesn’t regress. You dream for that rare moment in which both the bats and the pitching are in sync.