Same Old, Same Old

My home team, the Philadelphia Phillies, have lacked an "ace" for as long as I've watched baseball. Sure, I've seen some good pitchers, some guys that have showed signs of greatness. But no one has been able to do it for an extended period.

The pitching was so bad at one point that I actually used to root against the Phils -- or at least when they played the Atlanta Braves. What's a Little League pitcher to do when his home team can't provide a star hurler to idolize?

Since I was a lefty, I fell in love with Tom Glavine (a fellow southpaw) and the Braves' pitching staff. (A note to any GMs out there: You know it's time to improve your team when kids resort to cheering for your division-leading rivals.) Anyhow, I had a difficult time rooting for the Phillies when I was young.

But it wasn't just the pitching. The Phillies were bad at everything. As far as pitchers go, though, Curt Schilling -- who naturally had his best years post-Philadelphia -- was by far the best of my youth. Until he was traded, of course.

And since that fateful day the Phils' rotation has been like a carousel of ponies -- when all we want is a thoroughbred or two. Names such as Wolf, Padilla, Millwood, Myers, and Lieber (to name a few) have teased us with the occasional gem. Yet none of them have been consistent enough to be considered an ace.

Cole Hamels, the present and foreseeable future of the Phillies' staff, is often compared to Hall of Famer Steve Carlton. Lanky and left-handed with a knack for striking guys out, I can see the resemblance. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Steve Carlton only flirted with an earned run average of 4.00 once in his 14 seasons in Philadelphia. Hamels is on pace to finish above that mark for the second time in his four major league seasons. And while he has improved in each of his first three campaigns, Hamels is having the worst season of his young career in 2009.

With an ERA of 4.87 and a WHIP (walks and hits allowed per inning) of 1.38, both career worsts, Hamels has looked like anyone but Steve Carlton this season. On a positive note, Hamels is averaging a mere 1.7 walks for every nine innings of work, a career low.

I'm no pitching coach, but I do know that he must be close to turning things around. He's obviously not lacking in the accuracy department if he's not walking guys. But like I stated before, an ace needs to show consistency. Cole Hamels has not shown consistency.

Hamels' struggles aren't the only issue, though. The entire rotation, as well as the usually stellar bullpen, has been rocked this season. At the All-Star break the Phillies' staff ranked at or near the bottom of every statistical category of importance.

The good thing about this -- if there is a good thing -- is that the Phillies, despite their sub-par pitching, hold a five-game lead over the second-place Marlins following their 4-0 win on Thursday night. Thanks to a pair of homers by Raul Ibanez and a one-hit, seven-inning masterpiece by Jamie Moyer, the Phils were able to get a running start to their second half.

For now, the Phillies are a legitimate contender in the National League. If the addition of Pedro Martinez is the final change to their pitching staff, the Phils could absolutely win the pennant again -- with a few more lucky breaks, some timely hitting, and a hot streak in late September. But that's a lot to ask.

I'm just tired of the same old mediocrity. Imagine how much easier life would be with a sure-fire ace out there. If the Phillies can win games without good pitching, what will they do when they finally get it?