In the competition for the new slots on the five-man staff behind Aaron Nola, the faithful want to know what changes the front office will adopt for the Philadelphia Phillies. For instance, if Jeremy Hellickson has a new employment address, who will fill his spot every fifth day? And while Vincent Velasquez will return, he has an innings limit because he only pitched 87 2/3 frames last summer in the MLB and Double-A combined. On the other hand, Adam Morgan will probably receive a demotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room for the fireballer in Arizona.

GENUINE INSIGHT

Openings and Replacements:

Opportunity is the greatest motivator for those with the credentials to attain success, but achieving expectations–including your own–offers an additional challenge only hard work can defeat.

To many fans, the business side of baseball is an unwelcomed intrusion into their escape from the everyday grind. But uniformed athletes are employees: If they don’t get hits against opposing pitchers or put zeros on the board from the hill, they aren’t earning the millions their employer pays them. In other words, after Tommy Joseph blasted souvenirs into the seats, opposing starters examined tape, searched for his weaknesses, and spent those few hours to initiate his first major league slump. And hitters studied Hector Neris: They discovered he was too comfortable with his split-fingered fastball, and they passed on those offerings to move the count in their favor. Ooh, a heater!

While the contest is in progress, one player in each dugout is the best at searching for any clue to an offensive edge. Chase Utley has no equal in this effort: He also studies the videos of opposing coaches for tip-offs, and nobody can match his game-time observations. That stated, many eyeballs each inning are scanning the field for any advantage.

Except for the elite, when a hitter or pitcher is extremely successful, the competition puts them at the top of the list. They discover and exploit any weakness in a delivery or a swing. The now mixed-up hitter, for example, is striking out, dribbling grounders, and losing confidence: a slump. However, other ways exist to struggle in the batter’s box or the mound. And a similar approach applies to overachieving teams as well.

After surprising the league with a 24-17 mark, the Phils landed in a perfect storm of contenders and being a targeted club due to their record. Obviously, one win in each series against stronger opponents would equal a 6-12 result instead of the 3-15 they produced against the Tigers, Cubs, Nationals and Blue Jays; and those mounting defeats cast a cloud over the clubhouse. They are neither the squad you saw in April nor the one you have been seeing in June: They are somewhere in between. On the other hand, the cure is a string of games against easier competition or some victories.

The Rotation:

Since general manager Matt Klentak will not acquire a veteran moundsman, you can expect only in-house solutions. And if Hellickson is pitching elsewhere by July’s end, his departure will elevate Nola to the head of the five-man staff.

After reviewing tape of Nola, pitching coach Bob McClure worked with the youngster in the bullpen to fix a mechanical flaw, but then Nola was a victim a third consecutive time. Again, he didn’t have his good stuff and it’s more than hitters waiting for his strike-zone curveball. Yes, he was 2-2 with a respectable 3.41 ERA against tougher opponents before the three Junior Circuit franchises torched him. Therefore, McClure and Nola compared his outing in Minnesota to his first 12 appearances and are concentrating on his control difficulties, including rushing his curves. But even though they’ll solve this problem, the question is when.

Nola for 2016:

7 Gms, 44 Inn., 3-3 and a 3.27 ERA versus Cincinnati, San Diego, Milwaukee, Atlanta and Minnesota.

8 Gms., 43 2/3 Inn., 2-4 and a 4.95 ERA against Washington, St. Louis, Miami, Detroit and Toronto.

Nola for 2015:

7 Gms, 51 Inn., 3-3 and a 2.12 ERA versus the Braves, Padres, Diamondbacks and Marlins.

6 Gms., 26 2/3 Inn., 2-4 and a 6.41 ERA against the Rays, Cubs, Blue Jays and Mets.

“I remember going from rookie ball to A, to double A, then to triple A. At every level it seemed like the game was faster. The bigger the situation, the more the game speeds up. That’s all mental. It messes people up.” —Derek Jeter

On a more positive note, Jerad Eickhoff has made adjustments after the league caught up to him. Approximately, May 1 was the predicted turning point here for the opposition, but they struck on April 24 through May’s end: He went 1-4 with a 5.18 ERA for 41 2/3 frames in those seven contests. For him, the test was overcoming these obstacles by June, and Mr. Eickhoff has no plans for a trip back to Allentown. In fact, he is McClure’s best student: They spent time together on the bench immediately after his completed outing.

June: 5 Gms., 31 1/3 Inn., 3-2 and a 2.01 ERA versus the Brewers, Cubs, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks and Twins.

Leaning over the dugout railing, Ryan Howard was mentoring Morgan by giving him tips for his next–or maybe last–outing here for a while. The first baseman is an elder statesman and has helped many young players over the last few campaigns: One was southpaw Jesse Biddle during spring training in 2014. But interrupting their conversation was the action on the field. Look out! Bang! A screaming foul ball headed in their direction clanked off a section near them.

Firing 76 bullets over five innings, Velasquez made his rehab appearance for Double-A Reading: He gave up two hits and just one earned run. Keep in mind, management is eyeballing his workload because he only toiled for 88 2/3 frames last season including Double-A, but they will probably increase his limit by 60 innings (150 total), counting the five during the rehab. At, however, the first sign of trouble, the brain trust will again shut him down. On the other hand, the flamethrower can’t strike everybody out either: He has a slider, a curve, a change and a sinker besides his 95-mph smoke. He has currently logged 61 2/3 MLB frames but recorded a 5.93 ERA for 20 earned runs in his final 30 1/3 innings before his DL stint.

“My rookie year, I was very immature.” –Dennis Rodman

Smiling on the bench after his first decent performance, Zach Eflin was not the amped-up rookie from his debut five days prior. And after he received handshakes from McClure and many of his teammates, he relaxed and realized he could get outs in the majors. And when he came to the park the next day, McClure reviewed his outing with him and offered pointers to work on between starts. Well, is Eflin–unknown to the league for now–claiming that fifth starting role?

According to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, Klentak explained some of his decisions. And here is one quote from the GM you should give a second thought to.

“Players don’t reach a certain level and stay there their whole career. It takes time to sustain a certain level of performance in the big leagues.”

At Triple-A Lehigh Valley, right-handers Jake Thompson, Ben Lively and Mark Appel are the three hurlers–besides probably Morgan–Klentak will pick from to replace a traded Hellickson.

Appel has been on the disabled list since late May but will return by mid-July. Perhaps, he overdid things with his renewed hope of living up to his potential and pitched until he could do so no longer. For April, he was 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA, but he was responsible for 11 earned runs in 15 2/3 frames before his last appearance of only two recorded outs.

Appearing on the radar of farm-system watchers, Lively caught the attention of Phillies’ fans looking for the next piece of the rotation puzzle. But keep in mind, Lively returned to the Fightin Phils for ’16, while Thompson and Eflin received promotions to the IronPigs. Basically, Lively spent two full campaigns over the last three years in Double-A (47 starts). In other words, five outings at Triple-A will only lead to an emergency opportunity in Philly because he’s still new to the International League.

After dominating performances for Reading, Thompson advanced to Lehigh Valley, where his April and May was up-and-down. But June was a different story: He allowed only 3 runs (all earned) in 29 frames during his four outings for a sparkling 0.93 ERA. And if he–like Nick Williams–forces Klentak to promote him, it may happen shortly. When? After the All-Star break.

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Recap for 6/25/16:

If the red pinstripes trade Hellickson or replace a struggling Eflin, the call-up will be righty Thompson.

Peter Bourjos or Cody Asche have a noticeable drop in their average, Williams will make his MLB debut. If eitherorhave a noticeable drop in their average, Williams will make his MLB debut.

(Barring injuries or any unforeseen situations.)

The Numerical Bible:

Storyline and Red Alert are not sabermetrics articles, which means no heavy statistical analysis. But because some readers rely on stats, this is only a reference: no reason to articulate the importance of these numbers.

Statistics are through June 24. * On the disabled list.

Pitching:

Nola, 23: 15 Gms., 87 2/3 Inn., 5-7, a 4.11 ERA, a 3.11 FIP, a 2.89 xFIP, a 3.15 SIERA, a 2.1 WAR and a 1.21 WHIP.

Velasquez, 24: 12 Gms., 61 2/3 Inn., 5-2, a 3.65 ERA, a 3.57 FIP, a 3.75 xFIP, a 3.52 SIERA, a 1.4 WAR and a 1.26 WHIP.

Eickhoff, almost 26: 15 Gms., 91 Inn., 5-9, a 3.36 ERA, a 3.79 FIP, a 3.94 xFIP, a 3.97 SIERA, a 1.7 WAR and a 1.20 WHIP.

Morgan, 26.5: 11 Gms., 57 2/3 Inn., 1-6, a 6.55 ERA, a 5.05 FIP, a 4.62 xFIP, a 4.37 SIERA, a 0.2 WAR and a 1.60 WHIP.

Eflin, 22: 3 Gms., 14 1/3 Inn., 0-2, a 6.28 ERA, a 5.85 FIP, a 5.68 xFIP, a 5.65 SIERA, a -0.1 WAR and a 1.53 WHIP.

Triple-A Pitching:

Thompson, 22.5: 14 Gms., 84 1/3 Inn., 6-5, a 3.09 ERA, a 4.22 FIP and a 1.17 WHIP.

Eflin, 22: 11 Gms., 68 1/3 Inn., 5-2, a 2.90 ERA, a 2.56 FIP and a 0.88 WHIP.

*Appel, almost 25: 8 Gms., 38 1/3 Inn., 3-3, a 4.46 ERA, a 3.99 FIP and a 1.57 WHIP.

Lively, 24: 6 Gms., 40 1/3 Inn., 3-0, a 2.45 ERA, a 4.29 FIP and a 0.77 WHIP.

Double-A Pitching:

Lively, 24: 9 Gms., 53 Inn., 7-0, a 1.87 ERA, a 2.51 FIP and a 0.94 WHIP.

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Storyline Revisted is different from the original in many ways.

How could the Phillies have the oldest nickname while some called them the Blue Jays too? Both articles have a link to the other.

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