1. Roy Halladay: Halladay had a relatively spectacular first month of the season, going 4-1 with a 2.19 ERA. He pitched 2 complete games, and came close to pitching a third on April 24, a game in which he went 8.2 innings had 14 strikeouts. Aside from a sloppy 9-0 loss to the Brewers and a so-so performance on the opening day victory, Halladay has been near flawless, as expected. He currently leads the league in strikeouts, with 57.
Grade: A-
2. Cliff Lee: In his first month back in a Phillies uniform since the 2009 World Series, Cliff Lee did a good job on the mound, though not as impressive as one may have hoped. He has had great outings, such as a complete game shutout of the Nationals on April 14th, as well as terrible ones, such as the 6-3 loss to Atlanta on April 8th in which he went just 3 innings and gave up 6 runs. Consistency was a problem with Lee in the first month of the season, but he should ultimately iron out the wrinkles in his play. He went 2-2 with a 3.66 ERA.
Grade: B
3. Roy Oswalt: Oswalt probably was the most consistent pitcher for the Phillies over the first month of the season. Except for a bad 3 inning game on April 26th (which was being played while his home state of Mississippi was being ravaged my monstrous tornadoes), he has been good for 6 solid innings, only a couple of earned runs, and a win. He finished the month with a 3-1 record and a 3.33 ERA.
Grade: B+
4. Cole Hamels: Hamels was perhaps the Phillies biggest question mark going into the 2011 season. Would he play like the 2008 World Series MVP, or would he regress back to his average 2009 form? After his first start, everybody feared it may be the latter, or worse. He went 2.2 innings and gave up 6 runs on 7 hits. However, there was nothing to worry about, as he ended up becoming the Phillies 2nd best pitcher in the month of April. He went 4-1 with a 2.66 ERA, and has pitched for 7+ innings in every game since the first start debacle. If he keeps playing at such a high level, he could become the the team's 2nd starter behind Roy Halladay.
Grade: A-
5. Joe Blanton: Joe Blanton did a decent enough job as the Phillies 5th starter last month, but there is nothing worth bragging about. He did not get a win the entire month, going 0-1. But there are a couple of reasons for that. 3 of his 4 starts ended with no decision, and the Phillies ended up winning 2 of those games. He wasn't terrible in his 7-4 loss to the Nationals on April 12th either. He also suffered an injury which made him miss his last start in April and his first start in May. Overall, Joe was Joe: Solid, but nothing particularly special.
Grade: C
6. Vance Worley: Three words: watch this guy. The rookie Worley has impressed fans and teammates alike with his two fill in starts for Joe Blanton in late April and early May, going 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA. He only gave up 6 hits and had 12 strikeouts over the course of those two games. Worley will probably go back down to the minors after Blanton is healthy. However, if Blanton struggles or ends up getting traded, the promising Worley may be named the Phillies 5th starter sooner rather than later.
Grade: B+
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