Morning Show loves 'old school' Phillies rotation sporting 'refreshing' throwback feel

The Phillies starting rotation, outside of Taijuan Walker, has been nothing short of fantastic in 2024, as the top four arms in the rotation don’t have an ERA above 2.77.

Led by Ranger Suarez and his sparking 1.81 ERA, the Phils staff is loaded with thriving arms, from Aaron Nola and Cristopher Sanchez, pitching to a 2.77 and 2.71 ERA, respectively, to Zack Wheeler, one of the most consistent arms in the game in recent years who has maintained that label with a 2.23 ERA through 13 starts this season.

MLB analyst Ben Davis joined the show on Tuesday to talk about the rotation, which he says has been the most encouraging aspect of the team so far this season.

“I thought it would be good, but they’ve taken it to a whole new level,” Davis said. “It’s just so refreshing for me to watch them pitch. I didn’t say throw. Pitch. They’re welcoming contact. You want to hit a ground ball on the third pitch of the at-bat? Okay, I’m cool with that. I’ll take a 10-pitch inning.

“They’re very near the bottom of the league in pitch velocity…it’s so refreshing to see.”

Rob Ellis, filling in for Joe DeCamara, agreed that the pitching staff has been a throwback to an older generation, sticking it to the analytic-heavy philosophies of the modern game as they continue to be arguably the best staff in the league despite not possessing traits that many current front offices would covet, like high velocity or spin rate.

“They’re like old-school horses,” Rob said. “The way that it was back in the day.”