The Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation continues to be accurately recognized as one of the best in baseball.

As the team moves toward the 2012 season, this area of strength shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Formerly known as the 4 aces

With Roy Oswalt’s(notes) seemingly certain departure, the Phillies still have three starting pitchers who each rank among the best in the game.

If Detroit Tiger’s American League Cy Young and MVP pitcher Justin Verlander(notes) continues to crank out multiple seasons like he has in the first part of his career, he will become who Roy Halladay(notes) already is.

Yes, ‘Doc’ doesn’t have an MVP award. But, he does have two Cy Young awards and remains at the top of his game.

Doc

Halladay might be the best pitcher of his generation.

The right-hander, who broke into the big leagues in 1998 with the Toronto Blue Jays, will turn 35 in May and has thrown 2,531 career regular season innings.

He has a .671 winning percentage and a 1.168 WHIP (Walks + Hits per innings pitched).

Cliff

Cliff Lee(notes) turned 33-years-old in August.

He first pitched in the major leagues in 2002. The left-hander went 83-48 for the Cleveland Indians during the course of eight seasons.

The Phillies obtained him in the summer of 2009, traded him that winter to the Seattle Mariners and then signed him as a free agent after his short stint with the Texas Rangers.

He has thrown 1,641.67 career regular and postseason innings. He has a .633 winning percentage and a 1.223 WHIP.

Hollywood

Cole Hamels(notes), who turns 28 in December, is the Phillies best homegrown pitcher in generations.

In six seasons his regular season record is 74-54, for a .578 winning percentage.

Last season he produced a career best 0.986 WHIP. Overall he has a career 1.141 mark.

Hopefully, he and the team can reach an agreement to extend his contract beyond the 2012 season. In the meantime, his healthy place with Halladay and Hamels ensures the Phillies almost certain contender status.

The rub

Anyone can look at the numbers that have been presented and conclude that Halladay is the Phillies ace and that Lee is their most seasoned lefty.

Those who have seen Hamels mature during the past few seasons know that many of his best mound moments likely lie ahead of him.

Regardless of his solid frame and conditioning program, fans would be remiss to not take note of the amount innings that Halladay has logged since the 2006 season. During that time he has pitched 1,414.667 regular season innings, or 56 % of his career total.

Since that same season, Lee has pitched 1,198 regular season innings, or 73% of his career total.

Hamels first year with the Phillies was in 2006.

When a team’s top two starting pitchers are in their mid-30s, it’s fair to consider the recent past when thinking about the future.

After earning a Communications degree from Penn State in 1990, Sean started his career in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons front office. At that time they were the Philadelphia Phillies Triple-A farm team. He has written professionally for over two decades. Read his Sports Blog: Insight and follow him on Twitter @ SeanyOB

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Philadelphia Phillies fans like myself don’t have as much reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving as we did a month ago. Thanks to the NLDS, we have new reasons to be upset towards the likes of Ryan Howard(notes), Cliff Lee(notes) and Charlie Manuel after worshiping them for years.

However, there are a few Phillies we can still feel thankful to have around even during this offseason.

Roy Halladay(notes)

If the Phillies had just gotten one run for Halladay in Game 5 against the St. Louis Cardinals, his legend would have grown even more in Philadelphia—if that is possible. As it stands, Halladay remains the ace of aces in the National League after two years here, and may be the primary reason why the Phillies still have an open window for another title.

Cole Hamels(notes)

Hamels is a throwback to the old days when the Phillies could win a World Series and when the team only had one ace. Now that his problematic 2009 season seems to be fully behind him, Hamels has become as reliable as ever—which he showed when he gutted out six shut-out innings in Game 3 at St. Louis. Right now, he is one of the few veteran Phillies who isn’t a question mark; perhaps because he is one of the younger veterans.

Jimmy Rollins(notes)

If Rollins remains with the Phillies heading into 2012, it will give fans all the more reason to be thankful. While we can debate whether he has enough left in the tank to earn a five-year deal—especially with all the other improvements the Phillies need to make—few will argue that he doesn’t deserve to end his career in Philadelphia.

We may be clinging to the old days when Rollins was an MVP and the Phillies were still pennant winners. Yet if he and the team can agree on one more deal, it will make fans appreciate him all the more because he will be a Phillie for life, after all.

Carlos Ruiz(notes)

Ruiz was one of the many Phillies who had nothing to offer on offense in the NLDS. But we had no choice but to put up with it because of the catcher’s invaluable service behind the plate. Considering the work Ruiz has done with Halladay, Hamels and Lee over the years—including a no-hitter and playoff perfect game with Halladay—it is worth a few offensive slumps.

Hunter Pence(notes)

Until October, Pence looked like the missing piece of the puzzle for the Phillies offense. However, since he made such an impression on Philadelphia before the postseason, the right fielder is one of the few players that can be safely let off the hook. The hope is that Pence will stay on our good side during his first full year in a Phillies uniform next season.

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PHILADELPHIA • Righthander Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia
Phillies delved back into his schoolboy days Friday to explain the
juxtaposition of paying respect to an opponent, yet trying to
dominate him.

“I heard a quote a long time ago … ‘I came here to bury Caesar,
not praise him,’” said Halladay, who will face the Cardinals late
this afternoon in the first game of the National League division
series.

“I think it’s true. We’re all well aware of how good the (St.
Louis) team is. We obviously have a respect for what they’ve done
and how they’ve played, but you have to be confident going in that
you’re going to be able to beat them. You have to be confident the
guys around you feel the same way.

“I think we all don’t take them lightly. But, at the same time,
I feel like without an arrogant tone to it, we believe we have a
team that can go out there and get the job done.”

Halladay and Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter were together in the
Toronto system for six years and became best friends. But, after
joining different clubs, they have never pitched against each
other, although a potential fifth-game matchup could take place in
this series now that Carpenter has been moved up a day.

“You know what? I think we’d enjoy it,” said Halladay. “He’s
obviously been a good friend … he taught me a lot. I think we’re
similar in a lot of different ways. We always enjoyed golfing
against each other, fishing against each other.

“I’d look forward to pitching against Chris.”

Incidentally, the only other time Halladay started a division
series game, he pitched a no-hitter last year against
Cincinnati.

Manuel says Cards ‘could go all the way’

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said that “if (the Cardinals )
play right and things fall for them, they could go all the
way.”

The Cardinals beat the 102-win Phillies six times in nine
meetings this year and Manuel said: “They’ve got a real good
hitting team and they’ve got enough starting pitching.”

“They’re playing good, especially the last two or three weeks of
the season, and, without a doubt, we’ve got our work cut out.”

Manuel said he particularly was impressed by the Cardinals’
lineup balance.

“They’ve got contact guys. They’ve got guys that can hit the
ball out of the yard. They do not possess what I’d call a lot of
speed. But, at the same, they can handle the bat,” said Manuel.

“And every one of them … they’re hitting anywhere from .280 to
.300. They lead the league in runs scored.

“They got down and they hung in there and they fought just like
we did when we caught the (New York) Mets a couple of times. That’s
basically why they’re in the playoffs.”

The Cardinals also are in the playoffs because the Phillies won
three straight at Atlanta this week and Manuel managed the games as
if they meant something to his team, too. “We tried to win all
three of them,” said Manuel.

“My philosophy was we were going to play the game just like we
always do.”

Family affair

St. Louisan Ryan Howard of the Phillies will be playing before
family and friends next week when the series moves to St. Louis,
but his mother, father, sister and niece will be on hand this
weekend here.

With perhaps half of the games in the series in St. Louis,
Howard said, “That’s less travel for everybody. It’s going to be
fun next week.”

But Howard said he would not be overwhelmed by filling ticket
demands. “Probably like 12 to 15 in St. Louis,” he said. “Nothing
too crazy.”

Pence not surprised

Cardinals right fielder Lance Berkman and Phillies right fielder
Hunter Pence were teammates last year in Houston. Pence said he was
not surprised by Berkman’s resurgence this year.

“Not at all,” said Pence. “He’s one of the best ballplayers in
the game today. When he’s healthy, in big situations, he’s a
threat.”

(Sports Network) – Roy Halladay has dominated the Nationals. The
Philadelphia Phillies haven’t lost a series on road since mid-June.

That combination may be tough for Washington to overcome in the finale of a
three-game set this afternoon.

The Phillies have won a season-best eight straight series on the road (20-6
record). Their last series loss was June 17-19 at Seattle (1-2).

Halladay is 11-1 with a 2.21 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) all-time against the
Nationals. That includes a 3-0 mark with a 3.13 ERA in three starts this
season. He’s won his last 10 starts vs. the Nats and is 11-0 in his last 12
starts facing the them. His lone loss came June 28, 2002, when the club was
the Montreal Expos. At the time, Halladay was pitching for Toronto.

Halladay is coming off his seventh complete game of the season, but that was a
loss to Arizona on Tuesday. The Diamondbacks rallied in the ninth inning for a
3-2 win at Citizens Bank Park to snap Halladay’s personal four-game winning
streak. He’s 7-3 on the road this season.

Chien-Ming Wang’s first career start against the Phillies was delayed a week
by rainout on August 14. The right-hander gets his opportunity to face them
today and takes a personal two-game winning streak into the contest. On
Tuesday, Wang allowed seven hits and four runs over 6 1/3 innings in a victory
against the Reds. Wang did face the Phillies once before, but that was a
three-inning relief stint.

The team with the major’s best record shook off a ninth-inning collapse in
Friday’s series opener to shut down the Nationals, 5-0, last night.

Jimmy Rollins and Wilson Valdez both knocked in two runs for the Phillies, who
established a franchise record by going 31 games without back-to-back losses
as the visiting club. Philadelphia hasn’t dropped two straight on the road
since a four-game slide from May 31 – June 4.

“That’s how you have to do it,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of his
team’s bounce-back ability. “When you lose a game, you have to come out the
next night. You just have to worry about that night’s game.”

Roy Oswalt (6-7) took the mound for the second straight Saturday against
Washington after an extended rain delay at the outset of Friday’s game forced
his start to be pushed back. The right-hander gave up eight hits, walked one
and recorded nine strikeouts over eight innings. The strikeout total and
innings pitched were both season highs.

John Lannan (8-9) surrendered five runs — three earned — on seven hits and
four walks in five-plus frames for Washington. He fell to 1-12 lifetime versus
Philadelphia.

Hunter Pence homered in the sixth inning off Lannan.

“When he sometimes gets a little tired, he hooks up and the ball comes up,”
Nationals manager Davey Johnson said of Lannan.

The Phillies, who are 7 1/2 games ahead of second-place Atlanta, are 8-5 vs.
the Nationals this year.

The Sports Network

By The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Roy Halladay will get a little extra rest after the Philadelphia Phillies’ game against the Washington Nationals was rained out Sunday.

Maybe that’s a good thing.

Halladay is tied with Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw for the league lead with 175 2-3 innings. The workhorse right-hander led the majors with 250 2-3 innings last season, then pitched another 22 innings in the postseason as the Phillies made it all the way to the NL championship series.

So far, it doesn’t look as if Halladay has been affected by all those innings one bit. He is 6-1 with a 2.51 ERA in his last eight starts and is tied for the NL lead with 15 victories.

Sunday’s game was called more than two hours before the scheduled first pitch, and it’s unclear when Halladay will make his next start. NL East-leading Philadelphia is off Monday and opens a three-game series against West-leading Arizona on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.

Halladay last pitched last Monday, when he allowed one run and nine hits over 6 1-3 innings in a 5-3 victory at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Philadelphia and Washington split the first two games of the series. Livan Hernandez tossed 6 2-3 innings of one-run ball in the Nationals’ 4-2 victory on Friday night, but the Phillies bounced back with an 11-3 win Saturday night.

Sunday’s game will be made up on Sept. 20 as part of a split doubleheader. The scheduled unveiling ceremony for the Harry Kalas statue was pushed back to Tuesday.

It’s also uncertain when Chien-Ming Wang will return to the mound for the Nationals, who are off Monday before opening a 10-game homestand Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds. Continued…

Wang, who missed more than two years following shoulder surgery, pitched six scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory at the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. It was his first win since June 28, 2009, for the New York Yankees at the Mets.

The right-hander, who won 19 games in 2006 and 2007 with the Yankees, is 1-2 with a 3.60 ERA in three starts for the Nationals.

By The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Roy Halladay will get a little extra rest after the Philadelphia Phillies’ game against the Washington Nationals was rained out Sunday.

Maybe that’s a good thing.

Halladay is tied with Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw for the league lead with 175 2-3 innings. The workhorse right-hander led the majors with 250 2-3 innings last season, then pitched another 22 innings in the postseason as the Phillies made it all the way to the NL championship series.

So far, it doesn’t look as if Halladay has been affected by all those innings one bit. He is 6-1 with a 2.51 ERA in his last eight starts and is tied for the NL lead with 15 victories.

Sunday’s game was called more than two hours before the scheduled first pitch, and it’s unclear when Halladay will make his next start. NL East-leading Philadelphia is off Monday and opens a three-game series against West-leading Arizona on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.

Halladay last pitched last Monday, when he allowed one run and nine hits over 6 1-3 innings in a 5-3 victory at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Philadelphia and Washington split the first two games of the series. Livan Hernandez tossed 6 2-3 innings of one-run ball in the Nationals’ 4-2 victory on Friday night, but the Phillies bounced back with an 11-3 win Saturday night.

Sunday’s game will be made up on Sept. 20 as part of a split doubleheader. The scheduled unveiling ceremony for the Harry Kalas statue was pushed back to Tuesday.

It’s also uncertain when Chien-Ming Wang will return to the mound for the Nationals, who are off Monday before opening a 10-game homestand Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds.

Wang, who missed more than two years following shoulder surgery, pitched six scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory at the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. It was his first win since June 28, 2009, for the New York Yankees at the Mets.

The right-hander, who won 19 games in 2006 and 2007 with the Yankees, is 1-2 with a 3.60 ERA in three starts for the Nationals.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Roy Halladay will get a little extra rest after the Philadelphia Phillies‘ game against the Washington Nationals was rained out Sunday.

Maybe that’s a good thing.

Halladay is tied with Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw for the league lead with 175 2-3 innings. The workhorse right-hander led the majors with 250 2-3 innings last season, then pitched another 22 innings in the postseason as the Phillies made it all the way to the NL championship series.

So far, it doesn’t look as if Halladay has been affected by all those innings one bit. He is 6-1 with a 2.51 ERA in his last eight starts and is tied for the NL lead with 15 victories.

Sunday’s game was called more than two hours before the scheduled first pitch, and it’s unclear when Halladay will make his next start. NL East-leading Philadelphia is off Monday and opens a three-game series against West-leading Arizona on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park.

Halladay last pitched last Monday, when he allowed one run and nine hits over 6 1-3 innings in a 5-3 victory at the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Philadelphia and Washington split the first two games of the series. Livan Hernandez tossed 6 2-3 innings of one-run ball in the Nationals‘ 4-2 victory on Friday night, but the Phillies bounced back with an 11-3 win Saturday night.

Sunday’s game will be made up on Sept. 20 as part of a split doubleheader. The scheduled unveiling ceremony for the Harry Kalas statue was pushed back to Tuesday.

It’s also uncertain when Chien-Ming Wang will return to the mound for the Nationals, who are off Monday before opening a 10-game homestand Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds.

Wang, who missed more than two years following shoulder surgery, pitched six scoreless innings in a 3-1 victory at the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. It was his first win since June 28, 2009, for the New York Yankees at the Mets.

The right-hander, who won 19 games in 2006 and 2007 with the Yankees, is 1-2 with a 3.60 ERA in three starts for the Nationals.