Once Vince Velasquez raised his arms on the mound at Citizens Bank Park three months ago, the expectations for a young pitcher were considerable. The Phillies have since witnessed the highs and lows of a developing pitcher. In Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Miami, Velasquez reached a point he had not tasted since that magical April afternoon when he fanned 16 Padres.
He recorded an out in the seventh inning.
The 24-year-old pitcher has so far outperformed any reasonable projections - even with a brief trip to the disabled list. After seven solid innings against the Marlins, he has a 3.