Players are back and report to the summer camp. Baseball season will begin in a few weeks. After reviewing the 1-2 pitching combo in the American League. We are going to see pitchers in the National League. How did 1-2 pitching combos in the National League do in the first 10 games last season?
To understand which teams might have the best 1-2 pitching combo for this 60-game season, I looked back at the first 10 games for each team’s 1-2 combo last season. The 1-2 combo is based on the first 2 starting pitchers from the MLB depth chart. The new season is a 60-game season, so the first starter and the second starter should have at least 10 starts in this season.
Braves
Mike Soroka had a good start in the first 10 games and became the ace of the Braves. He got 7 wins and the Braves definitely want him to do that again. Mike Foltynewicz couldn’t repeat his good performance in 2018. In the first 10 games last season, he took 5 losses. The Braves will need him to bounce back or rely more on Max Fried or veteran Cole Hamels.
Marlins
Sandy Alcantara’s first 10 games were full of ups and downs, he had two starts without giving up a run, but he also had five starts that he gave up at least 4 earned runs. He has to be more stable for sure. Even though he only recorded 3-2, Caleb Smith did pitch well in the first 10 games last season. The Marlins will rely on him a lot this season.
Mets
2-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom needed some time to dominate on the mound. In his first 10 games last season, his ERA was 3.72 and under deGrom’s standard it was not good enough. Marcus Stroman began the season with the Blue Jays before being traded to the Met. In the first 10 games last season, he had 6 quality starts with a 2.95 ERA.
Phillies
Aaron Nola got 4 wins in his first 10 games last season, but he didn’t pitch very well, in particular, batters hit .290 against Nola. Zack Wheeler had 6 quality starts in the first 10 games last season, but his ERA was 4.74. Joe Girardi’s first season as Phillies manager, it will be very important for him to get the rotation ready in the summer camp.
Nationals
Max Scherzer had 7 losses last season and took 5 in his first 10 games. It’s hard to say that he didn’t pitch well. But he’s Max Scherzer, we all expected him to do more. Stephen Strasburg took 3 losses in his first 10 games last season and he only lost 6 times last season. The Nationals did have a slow start in 2019. If they want to win the World Series Champions again, they have to be ready on the first day of the season.
Cubs
Jon Lester was hit hard in May last season, he allowed at least 7 hits in 5 of 6 starts in May. However, Lester is a very experienced pitcher, he still had 5 quality starts in the first 10 games last season. Yu Darvish did have some problems with his control at the beginning of the last season. He allowed at least 3 walks in 8 of his first 10 games. Who will be the starting pitcher in the first game of manager David Ross?
Reds
Luis Castillo had a breakout season and became an all-star. Sonny Gray bounced back last season. Both Castillo and Gray both pitched well in their first 10 games. Along with Trevor Bauer, they will make the Reds rotation worth watching.
Brewers
Brandon Woodruff was a breakout star in 2019. He earned 6 wins in the first 10 games last season. Adrian Houser only started 2 games in his first 10 games last season. Craig Counsell might have creative ideas on his rotation for a short season.
Pirates
Joe Musgrove had 1 relief appearance and 9 starts in his first 10 games last season. He went at least 6 innings in 7 starts. Trevor Williams threw at least 6 innings in his first 8 starts last season. Chris Archer underwent surgery and Jameson Taillon is still doing rehab. The Pirates will rely on Musgrove and Williams this season.
Cardinals
We still remember that Jack Flaherty did a tremendous job in the second half of the season. Dakota Hudson also pitched well from August to September. But each of them had an over 4 ERA in the first 10 games last season. Will the Cardinals be in the playoff this season? These two pitchers’ performance will be really important.
Diamondbacks
Madison Bumgarner wasn’t that sharp in 2019. Robbie Ray was pitching well in the first 10 games last season, however, there were only 2 games that Ray pitched 6 innings. The Diamondbacks pitching staff will have some work to do this summer.
Rockies
It’s never easy to pitch at Coors Field. German Marquez has been quite trustworthy in the Rockies rotation. He threw at least 5 innings in his first 10 starts last season. Jon Gray had 6 quality starts in his first 10 starts last season. Can he do it again this season?
Dodgers
Kershaw and Buehler posted similar stats in their first 10 starts last season and both of them earned 5 wins. The Dodgers will need them to keep doing great jobs to win the NL West title again.
Padres
Chris Paddack was really sharp in his rookie season and showed that he would be the Ace of the Padres. In his first 10 starts last season, only two games that he couldn’t pitch 5 innings. Dinelson Lamet was back on the mound last July and in August he had 2 games that he struck out at least 10 times. Both Paddack and Lamet underwent Tommy John surgery in the past few seasons. In a 60-game season, the Padres don’t have to worry that much about limitations.
Giants
Johnny Cueto was back in September and only pitched 4 games last season. Jeff Samardzija gave the Giants some solid innings in the first 10 games. Two veteran pitchers will be important in the Giants rotation.
It will be worth watching NL pitchers’ performance this season after implementing the universal DH rule. Meanwhile, if some players have hot starts, they will make instant impacts on their teams. For example, Mike Soroka recorded 7-1 in his first 10 games and the Braves led in the NL East after 60 games. Since there are only 60 games, some teams may rely more on their 1-2 pitching combo to help them clinch a spot in the postseason. In a short season, each franchise would have to explore pitcher usage more carefully and more creatively.
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