Do the Phillies have the best starting rotation in National League?
While the Phillies offense hasn't gotten off to a strong start, you can make an argument that the Phillies starting pitching has been the best in the National League so far.
Their 11 quality starts rank second in all of baseball, and first in the Senior circuit.
So do the Phillies have the best starting rotation in the NL so far this season?
"I think they do," said former Rockies general manager Dan O'Dowd on MLB Network.
The panel mentioned the injury to Spencer Strider hurting the Braves rotation, the Dodgers, D-Backs and Reds as other candidates as the best in the N.L.
One of the reasons is their depth, with guys like Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola getting all of the attention at the top of their rotation, Ranger Suárez is starting to inch his way into the top part of the rotation conversation as opposed to just another No. 3 guy.
They have had quality outings from Cristopher Sánchez and Spencer Turnbull has been very good filling in for Taijuan Walker, who might be back soon.
Walker pitched on Tuesday night and gave up one run with one strikeout and three walks over 4.2 innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
So what happens when Taijuan Walker is ready to return?
It will be interesting to see how the Phillies handle this, with Turnbull pitching so well so far this season. In three starts, the 31-year-old has a 1.80 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts across 15 innings. In 64 career MLB games, he has started in 63 of them, so pitching out of the bullpen is not something Turnbull or Walker has done much. In 198 career games, Walker has started 195 times.
The team could go with a six man rotation or send Sánchez to the bullpen, but even he has pitched very well in a starting role, striking out 10 batters, giving up just one unearned run across six innings in his last start on Wednesday against the Rockies.
Over his three starts, the 27-year-old left-hander has a 2.53 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and a 25 strikeouts in 21.1 innings pitched. However, of his 45 career MLB appearances, 19 have some out of the bullpen, making him a candidate for that role, but this seems unlikely.
The team could move to a six-man rotation for the time being, or use Turnbull in a "piggyback" with another pitcher.
Time will tell, but it seems the time line for a decision is coming soon.