In looking for reasons why the Phillies have allowed more than half a run more per game since the first week of August, it's easy to point to their three least-experienced starters and surmise that Zach Eflin, Vince Velasquez, and Nick Pivetta hit the proverbial wall after pitching more innings than ever in their brief major-league careers.
It gets overlooked because, in the final analysis, Arrieta hasn't pitched poorly overall in his first season with the Phillies after signing a three-year, $75 million contract in March. He was effective early in the season despite his truncated spring training and dominated in May.