Philadelphia Phillies Pitching Stands Out Early in Camp

Workouts are getting more intense for the Philadelphia Phillies as they inch closer to their Grapefruit League opener this Saturday.

As the team keeps ramping up, the pitching is what really stood out on Wednesday, as Aaron Nola, Jesus Luzardo, and Andrew Painter each took the mound. 

Manager Rob Thomson is loving what he's seen from this trio early on in camp. 

“They haven’t seen hitters in five months,” Thomson said. “Typically, 60-65 percent of the time, pitchers walk the first hitter they face. It’s fascinating. These guys didn’t do that. They went right after the hitters.

Jesus Luzardo faced five batters during his live BP, and he struck three of the five batters he faced. That included veteran Brandon Marsh, who called his fastball electric.

"He gave me a really good sequence and you just tip your cap to him," said the right-handed hitter.

Thomson followed that up with what he saw from Luzardo from afar. "Luzardo was, I mean, really good. Everything about it," the Phillies' skipper said, trying not to smile." 

In terms of Nola and Painter, Thomson was really encouraged by what he saw in Nola's command, which has been a calling card for him throughout his career.

"Nola’s command was really good. He threw some backdoor cutters to lefties that hit the spot. Changeup was really good, fastball was really good."

Out of this trio, most of the attention is going to fall on Philadelphia's No. 2-ranked prospect: Andrew Painter.

The talent has always been there for the right-hander, and now he enters camp with a legitimate chance to make the team's starting rotation coming out of spring training.

It's early; it's important to remember that, but he's already showing signs that he can earn a spot on the roster. 

Thomson said Painter's " stuff was good, his control was good. He threw a lot of strikes and filled up the zone. He missed some spots early (in the session) but he commanded the ball better late."

The Phillies more or less know what they have in their lineup, but it's the rotation with the most question marks.

There's a lot to like about what the team has seen from their arms in these early workouts, but seeing how they perform in Grapefruit action will be the big indication of where the Phillies go from here. 

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