It wasn’t long ago that the Phillies found themselves facing some serious allegations from folks who insisted that their rebuilding effort amounted to “tanking.” From the ESPN airwaves to the pages of the local papers, a small but vocal contingent of pundits and press insisted that what teams such as the Phillies were doing was little different from the “processes” of NBA teams that generated so much consternation in that sport. It’s an interesting conversation to revisit in light of recent events, specifically something that occurred late last week.
In back-to-back starts against the Mets and Orioles, Vince Velasquez and Nick Pivetta combined to allow just three runs in 12 1/3 innings, answering a challenge that had been issued by 22-year-old righty Enyel De Los Santos in his magnificent spot start of 6 1/3 innings earlier in the week.