The Philadelphia Phillies have faced some instability in their pitching rotation lately. Veteran Aaron Nola is sidelined with an ankle injury, Zack Wheeler has been placed on the paternity list, and recent trade acquisition Jesus Luzardo struggled badly, giving up 12 earned runs in a tough outing. To steady things, the Phillies called up pitching prospect Mick Abel for a start against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Abel, who debuted in May against the Pittsburgh Pirates by striking out nine batters while allowing no earned runs over six innings, exceeded expectations once again. MLB statistician Sarah Langs highlighted that Abel is the first pitcher in at least 125 years to pitch 5 or more innings with no walks and one or zero runs allowed in each of his first two MLB appearances.
Despite Abel’s strong performance, he modestly critiqued himself after the game, saying he didn’t quite get his curveballs to bounce as he wanted. The Phillies ultimately lost due to a walk-off single by reliever Jordan Romano. Still, Abel’s outing is a bright spot, providing Philadelphia with a promising young arm either to bolster their rotation or as a valuable asset at the trade deadline. If Abel can command his curveball better in future starts, he could become a dominant pitcher.