Atlanta Braves: Why Their Pitching Staff Trumps Even the Philadelphia Phillies'

The Phillies have the most talked-about starting pitching rotation in a long time, with extremely high expectations, even before the season began. They were speculated to be one of the greatest pitching staffs of all time. The main question is: Are the Phillies' four “aces” meeting expectations? And also, is there another amazing pitching staff that can compare to the Phillies’, such as the Braves’?

In this article, I will look at the similarities/differences in the pitching staffs of the Braves and the Phillies, and decide which is actually worthy of being Pitching Staff of the Year.

In order to do so, I will look at basic stats and also FIP, which basically tells you how well a pitcher pitched, regardless of how well the rest of the team did.

I will leave out the WAR stat, because it is more of a hypothetical statistic, and varies from one source to another.

Roy Halladay vs. Jair Jurrjens

These two pitchers are the obvious aces of each team. They both have pitched exceptionally well this season, and are both fair contenders for the Cy Young Award. They both have an outstanding record of 10-3. Halladay’s ERA is 2.40, and Jurrjens’ is 2.07. The two pitchers appear comparable; however, this may not be so.

Roy Halladay’s FIP is 2.16, which is considerably lower than his ERA, while Jurrjens’ is 3.23, which suggests that Jurrjens may not be in the Cy Young race for the long run.

On the other hand, Jurrjens has compiled a few great seasons of pitching, and shows no sign of slowing down. Although the FIP stat supposedly predicts how a player will perform in the future, it is not at all a guarantee, and I believe Jair Jurrjens is in it for the long run.

I would say overall, Cy Young defender Roy Halladay, who is having one of the best seasons of his career, is currently the better pitcher of the two, and has the greater chance of taking home the Cy Young.

Cliff Lee vs. Tommy Hanson

Lee and Hanson have similar records; they are 8-5 and 8-4, respectively. Lee’s 2.87 ERA and Hanson’s 2.48 ERA are also impressive stats. They are both obviously very competent No. 2 starters, and it could be debated which is actually the better pitcher.

They are both mainly strikeout pitchers, Lee with an average of 9.08 K/9, and Hanson with an average of 9.61 K/9. Neither pitcher has been overly consistent in their pitching; both have had multiple shaky outings.

Cliff Lee has been recently pitching like a true ace. However, the same could be said about Tommy Hanson. Hanson has tons of potential, and is only currently in his third year of pitching. I think at the moment, Hanson is the more valuable pitcher and is more capable of becoming an all-time great.

Cole Hamels vs. Tim Hudson

These two pitchers have little in common; Hamels is a strikeout pitcher, and Hudson is a ground-ball pitcher. At the age of 35, Hudson is an aging veteran pitcher, still capable of being the ace of his team. Hamels is a young pitcher, nearing his prime, also capable of being the ace of his team.

Hudson’s ERA is 3.73, and Hamel’s is 2.49, and both of their FIPs are slightly lower than their ERA, suggesting that they are basically contributing what you can see.

Tim Hudson may have a few good years left in him to pitch, while Hamels is an ideal pitcher to have in a starting rotation. With a more impressive ERA, I think Hamels is the overall better pitcher of the two.

Roy Oswalt vs. Derek Lowe

Roy Oswalt has been injured for a while now, and is not likely to return for more than four to six weeks, which makes this slightly difficult. Oswalt was expected to be the fourth ace of the Phillies' historic rotation; however, his numbers show otherwise.

He and Derek Lowe have put up similar numbers for the season: Oswalt has a 4-6 record and 3.79 ERA, Lowe has a 3-6 record and 4.33 ERA. Lowe’s FIP is, however, 3.54, which is considerably lower than his ERA, while Oswalt’s FIP is 3.79.

I would say that Derek Lowe is actually the more valuable pitcher of the two. Though neither have performed impressively, for No. 4 starters, they are not too bad.

Kyle Kendrick/Joe Blanton/Vance Worley vs. Brandon Beachy

None of these three Phillies pitchers who have started interchangeably would appear desirable; however, I would take any of them as a fifth starter over Kenshin Kawakami. They have ERAs of 3.23, 5.50, 2.83, respectively, and an overall record of 7-7.

On the other hand, the Braves’ Brandon Beachy, in ten games pitched, has a 3-1 record and a 3.04 ERA. This is not at all bad for a fifth starter. Beachy is a rookie who may have a very promising career.

I would definitely place Beachy above the Phillies combo of Kendrick, Blanton and Worley. I think he has shown the most promise of the group.

Phillies Bullpen vs. Braves Bullpen

The Atlanta Braves have one of the greatest bullpens in the MLB. With the fantastic duo of setup man Jonny Venters and closer Craig Kimbrel, the Braves hardly ever give up runs in the eighth or ninth innings. Kimbrel has 20 saves and a 2.84 ERA, and Venters has an ERA of 1.29.

The Braves also have Eric O’Flaherty, with a 1.27 ERA, George Sherrill with a 2.29 ERA and Cristhian Martinez, with a 3.53 ERA.

The Phillies are not quite as lucky in this area. Two of their main relievers are Danys Baez, with a 5.51 ERA, and David Herndon, with a 3.91 ERA. They do have a very good closer, however, in Ryan Madson, who has 15 saves and a 2.03 ERA, and a great setup man in Antonio Bastardo, with a 0.96 ERA.

The Braves overall ERA from their relievers is 2.70, which is extremely impressive. The Phillies also have an impressive ERA of 3.10; however, the Braves have more strength and consistency in their bullpen, and have the better bullpen.

Which Staff Is Superior?

Both teams have stellar pitching staffs, possibly the two best in the league. The Phillies pitching is not way ahead of the Braves, as it was predicted to be.

Both teams have been putting up slightly less-than-average numbers on offense, and because they are both top teams in their league, they obviously have great pitching supporting their teams.

The Braves and the Phillies pitching staffs can be fairly compared; however, I have concluded that the Braves’ staff is slightly superior, despite the hype associated with the Phillies.

The Braves pitching staff has yet to prove its full potential, and this will be seen as the season unfolds.