Roy Oswalt’s first start as a Phillie turned out to be more memorable for the number of runs that the Phillies allowed than for the number they scored. Oswalt struggled and the Phils fell 8-1. Still, it’s been a pattern this season that the Phils have trouble scoring runs when they send their best pitchers to the mound.
The chart below shows the number of games started by each pitcher for the Phils this year, the average number of runs the Phils have scored in those games, the average number of runs the Phils have scored in the games when that pitcher wasn’t starting and the difference between the two:
| Pitcher | Starts | Runs/Start | Runs/Not Started |
Started minus Not Started |
| Halladay | 22 | 4.14 | 4.84 | -0.71 |
| Hamels | 22 | 4.05 | 4.87 | -0.82 |
| Kendrick | 20 | 5.90 | 4.41 | 1.49 |
| Moyer | 19 | 4.58 | 4.72 | -0.14 |
| Blanton | 17 | 5.12 | 4.61 | 0.50 |
| Happ | 3 | 5.67 | 4.67 | 1.00 |
| Figueroa | 1 | 3.00 | 4.71 | -1.71 |
| Oswalt | 1 | 1.00 | 4.73 | -3.73 |
| Total | 105 | 4.70 |
For example, Halladay has made 22 starts for the Phillies this season. In those starts the Phils have scored about 4.14 runs per game. In the games the Phillies have played when Halladay did not start they scored about 4.84 runs per game. 4.14 minus 4.84 is -0.71.
As has been pointed out before, Halladay and Hamels get little support. Each have made 22 starts this season. The Phillies have scored two more runs in the starts by Halladay than they have in the starts by Hamels. They’ve averaged 4.09 runs in the games the pair has started and 5.13 runs in the games they haven’t.
On the other hand, the bats show up in force with Kendrick on the mound. The Phils have scored nearly six runs per game in his 20 starts. They have also scored more than five runs a game for Blanton and Happ. In the 40 games that Kendrick, Blanton or Happ have started for the Phils the team has scored 5.55 runs per game. In the 65 games they haven’t started the Phils have scored 4.17 runs per game.