PHILADELPHIA -- Sixty-five games into the season, the Phillies have shuffled through eight starting pitchers who combined to post the third-highest ERA of any rotation in baseball.
But the most recent addition, Ben Lively, who had the second-best ERA in the International League with Triple-A Lehigh Valley before his callup, has shown promise in his first three career starts, providing the Phillies with much-needed length.
Phillies manager Pete Mackanin thinks that for a young rotation -- only Jeremy Hellickson is older than 25 -- Lively's success could both inspire and challenge. Maybe it already has.