It is late April. Last season’s gauzy memories are dying and the new season struggles to be born; now is the time of half-formed impressions. Enough games have been played to dredge up old fears and to create new hopes; not enough have been played to give us a sense of whether these images will dissipate or emerge from the mist, solid and concrete. Kyle Schwarber is hitting .213/.327/.415. Nobody seems particularly worried. Aaron Nola has a 5.40 ERA. Phillies fans are fretting. Which raises a question: Why are fans so much more tolerant of Schwarber’s cold start than Nola’s?
April Schwarber, September Nola
