During the stretch drive, the Phillies will probably acquire a left-handed starter from potentially four candidates, but general manager Matt Klentak has in-house competition for the bottom three spots until the All-Star break.

Shock absorption:

If you’re expecting even the Philadelphia Phillies ace to avoid minimal campaign valleys, you will find disappointment. As for the other five hurlers, four are still competing for three slots regardless of their current MLB or MiLB level.

IN OTHER WORDS: “Ups and downs in life are very important to keep us going, because a straight line even in an ECG means we are not alive” – Ratan Tata

While the faithful merely complain about a slumping offense and an imperfect relief corps, the rotation has them fingering their worry beads. Uneasiness: an annual ritual? However, signing Dallas Keuchel, 31, for multiple summers would come at the expense of four hopefuls who still qualify for every fifth day long-term.

The Phils are in win-now mode with chances for those who earned them in recent years. And, presently, even the other three starters involved will receive a quick hook like Nick Pivetta if they have a lack of good performances. Ergo, the front office has 488-million reasons, don’t they?

Regarding maturation, the Fightins have three pitchers besides Pivetta with roughly 2-3 seasons of development: Zach Eflin, Vince Velasquez and Jerad Eickhoff. But keep in mind, 60-90 starts are the learning curve in the major leagues before making an impact. Yes, even Cole Hamels was not an ace in year one.

On the other hand, having a solid game-calling catcher helps pitchers negotiate the opposing lineup. Additionally, J.T. Realmuto‘s defense is also preventing additional damage by controlling the running game, framing pitches and limiting passed balls.

For the Phils, a sixth starter in mid-July will be important because of an innings limit for Eickhoff due to missing 2018. And even though Velasquez will work more frames, he most likely faded after a string of acceptable outings through Aug. 4 because of his workload. So, Pivetta is the obvious sixth man.

Barring unexpected problems, Klentak will be a July buyer and will have two paths to explore. One could be a temporary pickup for the stretch drive and postseason: a free agent at season’s end. However, the GM could deal for a pitcher who will be under team control for 2020 as well.