Nola's struggles this year are not that surprising for many of us long time Phillie phollowers. The list of hurlers who struggled the year after pitching arguably their most arduous seasons one year previously is a fairly long one.
My first experience with this was young Ray Culp in 1964. Rookie of the Year in 1963, Culp labored most of the '64 season and was a shell of himself all year, one of a myriad of reasons the Phils collapsed that year.
In 1972 Steve Carlton had what I still think was the greatest year I have ever witnessed in a hurler, winning 27 games on a team that won 59. The following season? Carlton was the 4th best starter on a team that might well have won the NL East with a typical Carlton season. losing 20 games.
Most of us recall the terrible 2009 season that Cole Hamels had, against possibly costing the team another WS victory. His 2008 year was brilliant but taxing and he labored all of the '09 season as a consequence.
There are others and if I was so inclined I could probably name them but the point is that history should well have prepared the Phils for this likelihood. My guess is that he will struggle all season, with varying degrees of outstanding games with more than his share of difficult ones.
I am among those who felt the Phils showed way too much faith in their 5 man rotation, anyone of them of whom seemed to have at least one big question mark following his name...Nola for reasons I just chronicled, Arrieta because of his advancing age, Pivetta and Eflin because of their terrible Septembers and Velasquez simply because he is Velasquez.
This is a very talented Phillie team but their pitching issues are likely to become the teams Achillies Heel.
