Phillies Pitching Report Card: May

With 1/3 of the 2011 season in the books, the Phillies currently have the best record in baseball (34-21) and are in commanding control of the NL East. However, there have been bumps in the road, especially with the team's offensive performance. The Phils didn't score many runs in May, and that hurt the Win-Loss records of several Phillies pitchers. Nevertheless, there were still some great pitching performances, as well as some weak ones. Here are the grades for the Phillies starting rotation last month.

Roy Halladay: Roy Halladay was, as usual, phenomenal throughout the month of May. However, his W-L record suffered as a result of the offense's stagnation. He pitched back to back complete games against the Marlins and the Braves, but lost both (1-2 and 2-3, respectively) because of a crippling lack of run support. If the offense had been more productive, he probably would've been 6-0 for the month, but he went 3-2 instead. He had no control over those circumstances, though, so the two losses can pretty much be ignored. "Doc" performed with his typical surgical precision for the entire month, averaging a 2.26 ERA over those six games with 44 strikeouts. He still remains the unquestioned top ace on the team.
Grade: A+

Cliff Lee: Like Roy Halladay, Lee suffered from a Phillies offense that was in a funk for a good part of May. Unlike Halladay, however, Lee surprisingly fell into a little slump his own. To the surprise of many, his inconsistent pitching from April continued into May. He ended the month with a 2-3 record, along with a pedestrian 3.68 ERA over the course of the 7 games he started. Not horrendous by any stretch of the imagination, but not the type of production you expect to get out of a guy being paid $120 million over five years. He did have some nice games, though, including a 2-0, 8 inning shutout against the Texas Rangers on May 21 and a 1-2 loss to the Mets on May 1 that ended with a no decision. Lee always has been his best in clutch situations, and you really don't find many of those this early in the season. But considering the talent we all know that he has, it would be nice if he started pitching like an Ace, and not the Jack of Clubs.

Grade: C+

Roy Oswalt: Troubled by a nagging injury and a trip to the DL, Oswalt only started 3 games in the month of May, but pitched well in each game. Yet, he only went 0-1 in those starts because, you guessed it, the offense just wasn't there. His loss came in a 1-2 game against the Cardinals, and his one of his no decisions came in a 0-2 game against the Rangers. The other no decision resulted in a 6-4 win for the Phillies. Like Halladay, Oswalt would've had the chance for a perfect W-L in May if the offense had improved their level of production. He had a 2.82 ERA in those starts, and once again proved to be reliable and consistent, even when disrupted by injury. As long as he stays healthy, he should remain a strong #3 pitcher in this rotation.

Grade: B+

Cole Hamels: Well, it's now all but official: Cole Hamels is the second best pitcher in the Phillies rotation, and is even giving Roy Halladay a run for his money (both in the literal and figurative sense, considering that Hamels will be looking to cash in sooner rather than later). He went 4-1 with a 2.95 ERA for the month. He also matched Halladay's 44 strikeouts. Hamels ended the month with 7 total wins on the year, tied for most in the MLB. Also in a ironic twist, he was one of the only pitchers to get significant run support from the offense in May, something he lacked throughout the course of the entire 2010 season.
Right now, Cole Hamels is considered to be one of the top pitchers of the 2011 season. He has shown no obvious signs of dropping off in his level of play, so expect him to remain dominant for the rest of the regular season, and hopefully the postseason as well.

Grade: A

Joe Blanton: Not much to say about Joe Blanton this month. His injury problems continued into May, limiting him to only two starts. He went 1-1 with a 5.67 ERA. He only pitched 5 innings in both starts, but benefited from some solid offensive outings by the batters. If it hadn't been for Vance Worley's weak stamina and demotion to the AAA team, Blanton probably would've been Wally Pipped. He'll most likely remain the 5th starter, but until he gets healthy, the bottom of the Phillies rotation remains highly unsettled.

Grade: C

Vance Worley: So much for the coming out party. After two promising starts in late April and early May, Worley went 0-1 in his next two starts. Both games ended in a loss for the Phils. He failed to make it past 5 innings in both starts, which led many people to question his stamina. Worley simply is not ready to be a starter in the major leagues. Yes, he only had 4 starts, but strong stamina is a must for a major league starter, and he simply does not have that...yet. He could be a decent bullpen pitcher right now, but the Phillies decided to send him back to the minors instead so he can improve on his fundamentals. Hopefully he can be productive pitcher in the future, but it won't be this season.

Grade: C-