posted March 24, 2008 at 17:34 EST in MLB Betting Trends

Starting Pitching:

Pitching wasn’t exactly a problem for the Philadelphia Phillies last year, mostly because they cranked out 900 runs.

If they want to seriously compete, their rotation needs to improve.

They have the constituents but they need to stay health, which starts at the top with the injury prone Cole Hamels.

Hamels is part of the conversation when you talk about staff aces in the National League but he missed a month of action last season.

Brett Myers returns to the starting role after working as the closer last year, which adds stability and 200 quality innings. Kyle Kendrick, who posted a solid rookie campaign, and Jamie Moyer, a steady veteran, hold the No.3 & No. 4 spots.

The five-hole is iffy, but there are plenty of arms competing. Someone should emerge from the Kris Benson, Adam Eaton, Chad Durbin and Travis Blackley committee.

Relief Pitching:

The Phillies tried to find help in free agency but passed on the thin class and resorted to trading for Houston Astros closer Brad Lidge.

Lidge, like many of the other key bullpen arms, is recovering from injuries. He had knee surgery in October.

40-year-old setup man, Tom Gordon, is pitching with a slightly torn labrum, and Ryan Madson is recovering from a shoulder injury that cut his season short last year.

Lidge is the key in the bullpen and he seemingly found his feet after spinning out of control since Albert Pujols rocked his world in the playoffs.

If Lidge can hammer down the closing duties, the pitching on this team should inherently improve since Myers will be in the rotation.

But if Lidge and Gordon fail, the Phillies might have the worst bullpen in the major leagues.

Hitting:

Believe it or not, but the Phillies lineup might be even more potent this season.

Shane Victorino has established himself as a decent No. 2 hitter behind Jimmy Rollins, which sets the table for All-Stars Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

Pat Burrell will be key, since he is protecting Howard, but he is in a contract year, which typically leads to overachieving.

Although Aaron Rowand is gone, the Phillies feel they have a deeper lineup with the additions of Pedro Feliz and Geoff Jenkins. Rowand had a monster year while playing for a contract last year and likely would not have repeated that performance this season.

Regular Season Wins: 87.5

The Phillies won 89 games last year and have done some minor tinkering in the offseason. They now head into the season as the NL East favorites with a bulls-eye on their back.

They’ve added Lidge to the bullpen and replaced Rowand with Feliz and Jenkins. Their offseason changes can be described as minor tinkering.

It’s worth noting that the Phillies have had poor starts to their last three seasons. They are 31-42 in April over the last three seasons and if they can get out of the gate with a better start, they should be on pace to top 87.5 wins

Free Pick: Over 87.5 wins

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