Vince Velasquez started a baseball game above single A for just the 35th time in his career on Sunday afternoon when he took the mound at Citizens Bank Park for an eventual 9-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. His experience - or lack thereof - is showing.
The righthander throws too many pitches, relies too much on his blazing fastball, does not pitch deep into games, and does not look to acquire outs by pitching to contact.
But it is a team like the Phillies and their current rebuilding process that has the opportunity to allow Velasquez time to grow.