Why Phillies No. 4 and No. 5 starters are 'X-Factors' in NL East postseason hunt

Why Phillies No. 4 and No. 5 starters are ‘X-Factors’ in NL East postseason hunt originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Philadelphia Phillies have won seven games in a row entering play on Saturday, August 22, and there is some significant optimism about the team.

But to make not only a push for the postseason in general, but maybe even steal the National League East from the Atlanta Braves, they’re going to need two players to really step up down the stretch.

Jim Bowden of The Athletic highlighted two players who are the Phillies’ “X-Factors” this season. They are No. 4 and No. 5 starters Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter. The reason why is very simple: if they’re good, this rotation might be unbeatable.

Why Andrew Painter and Aaron Nola are ‘X-Factors’ for Phillies

“If the Phillies are going to hold on to win a wild-card berth, they’re going to have to win more games started by Nola and Painter,” Bowden writes. “The Phillies are just 3-7 in Nola’s last 10 starts and are 3-13 in Painter’s last 16 starts. If they can just win half the games that duo starts, there is no doubt the Phillies can punch their ticket to the playoffs.”

The Phillies need Nola and Painter to perform better, and fortunately, in their recent outings, that’s been the case.

Nola just recently went seven strong innings for the Phillies in a win over the Miami Marlins, and he’s been much better than he was early in the season across his recent outings.

Painter, though, is the bigger worry. He allowed four runs in the first inning of his start against the Minnesota Twins, but allowed just one run across his next four innings to keep the Phillies in the game for an eventual come-from-behind win.

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His 6.43 ERA on the season is bad; there’s no need to sugarcoat it. But after his stint back down in the minor leagues, which lasted over a month, he’s come back and been solid.

In four starts, the Phillies are 2-2, posting a 4.43 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched. Before that blowup outing against the Twins, his first three starts featured 15.1 innings at a 2.93 ERA.

Nola’s ERA is down to 5.12, and since the start of July, he’s been a much better pitcher, posting a 3.63 ERA in 52 innings. In his last five starts, he has gone 28.2 innings with 34 strikeouts and a 2.51 ERA. This is a well-timed renaissance for Nola.

Philadelphia needs both of these pitchers to perform at a high level if they want to make a deep postseason run, let alone make it there. And if they can both pitch well, they might even be able to catch the Braves for the NL East title this season.

So, while players like Kyle Schwarber, Jesus Luzardo, Bryson Stott, and many others are important, Nola and Painter’s production could really dictate how far this team goes in October.

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