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By Peter Chawaga
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Philadelphia Phillies have experienced a bit of turmoil in their star-studded pitching rotation.
Since durable veteran Aaron Nola went down with an ankle injury, the team has also lost Zack Wheeler to the paternity list and seen blockbuster trade addition Jesus Luzardo give up 12 earned runs in a concerning meltdown.
The Phillies recalled prospect Mick Abel for a start against the Toronto Blue Jays in search of some stability. In his Major League Baseball debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates in May, Abel logged nine strikeouts with no earned runs in six innings, so the Phillies might have hoped for more of the same on Wednesday. But Abel outperformed even the highest of expectations.
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"Mick Abel is the first pitcher in at least the last 125 seasons with 5-plus innings, no walks and (one or zero) runs allowed in each of his first two MLB appearances," MLB statistician Sarah Langs reported.
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There's good reason for Abel to be pleased with that kind of performance. But in his post-game comments, he offered a surprising take on his latest start.
"I think I left some curveballs up (Wednesday)," Abel told Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Wasn't really bouncing them how I wanted to off the dirt."
The Phillies ultimately lost the game after beleaguered reliever Jordan Romano coughed up a walk-off single. But Abel's outing was still a victory of sorts, as it gives the Phillies yet another strong option in the rotation or perhaps a significant trade chip to make a change at the upcoming deadline.
If the young hurler is able to get his curveball where he wants it in future starts, he could be a major force to be reckoned with.
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