Phillies playing well enough to keep an eye on the standings, scoreboard

PHILADELPHIA – Scoreboard watching for the out-of-town results is in vogue again at Citizens Bank Park.

It is also permissible, and certainly recommended, to regularly scrutinize the National League East standings.

Who cares if it’s April 24? It’s never too early.

And, besides, it’s been way, way too long.

The Phillies matter again, and the proof is right there.

They went into Tuesday night’s opener of a three-game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks in second place, one-half game behind the first-place New York Mets.

The Diamondbacks prevailed 8-4 on a night a victory would have put the Phillies (14-8) eight games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2011 season.

That, of course, was the end of the historic stretch when the Phillies won five NL East titles, two National League pennants and the 2008 World Series.

Seems like ancient history now.

Since winning a franchise-record 102 games in 2011, the Phillies haven’t even pretended to contend. They have finished 17, 23, 23, 27, 24 and 31 games behind the NL East champion in the six ensuing seasons.

But a 9-1 start at home is the best since 1964 – longtime Phillies fans still cringe at the sight of that year due to its horrific end-of-season downfall – and the Phillies appear to be capable of sustaining what they’ve started.

So while the Phillies were dueling the Diamondbacks, who arrived with an NL-best 15-6 record, it was perfectly plausible to keep an eye on that panel on the right-field wall that showed the score in St. Louis, where the Mets were playing.

Coming off a four-game sweep of the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates, who had been leading the NL Central before making their cross-state trip, the Phillies can serve up considerable evidence that their hot start is for real.

The starting pitching, typically the foundation of a team’s success, has been superb. Going into Vince Velasquez’ turn Tuesday, Phillies starters had allowed three earned runs or fewer in 12 straight starts for a 2.38 ERA.

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The last time that happened was 2011, when the Phillies had aces named Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in the starting rotation.

Aaron Nola (2-1, 2.30) has been everything the Phillies had hoped. Jake Arietta (2-0, 2.04) has been everything he was as a Cubs Cy Young Award winner.

Nick Pivetta (1-0, 2.57) has shown great promise. Velasquez (1-2, 3.80), coming off three strong starts, seems capable of perhaps finally harnessing his hard-throwing potential. Ben Lively (0-1, 4.64) has had his moments, but Zach Eflin (2-2, 4.05 at Triple-A Lehigh Valley) and Jerad Eickhoff (disabled list) could always step back in.

The bullpen has done its part as well, and now has offseason free-agent addition Tommy Hunter, who made his debut with a perfect inning against the Pirates on Sunday. He’d been on the disabled list with a hamstring strain.

Among its standouts have been Victor Arano, who had that streak of retiring 32 straight batters, the longest by a Phillie since Rick Wise in 1971; Edubray Ramos, who has whiffed 40 batters in his last 28⅔ innings; and Luis Garcia, with a 1.93 ERA in his last 35 games.

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And while the Phillies don’t appear spectacular offensively, they’ve developed a knack for manufacturing runs in a timely fashion from different batters. Plate discipline – only Washington’s 104 walks are more than the Phillies’ 98 – has played a key role on that. The Phillies’ 103 runs batted in are second in the league.

The Diamondbacks, whose 2.75 team ERA is the only one topping the Phillies’ 3.01 in the NL, will certainly provide a stiff test this week and they showed it Tuesday while pounding 11 hits.  

Velasquez lasted just 4 2/3 innings, striking out six but giving up four hits, including back-to-back third-inning homers to Alex Avila and Jarrod Dyson, and walking two. Some of those relievers also didn't fare so well on the rainy night.

“This is a really good club,” Phillies manager Gabe Kapler said before Tuesday’s game. “It’s really challenging. I’ve looked up and down their lineup. I think the two guys right in the middle in Goldie [Paul Goldschmidt] and [A.J.] Pollock are dangerous. I think their starting rotation is strong throughout. They have some good weapons at the back end of their bullpen.

“I would say that every big-league club is a test, and they have different things about them that put a little fear in your heart. And this is a team that we have to respect for both the players that they have on the field and for their leadership, which I also think is really strong.”

And so the Phillies took the field Tuesday with first place on the line.

It’s never too early to get excited about that.

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @kevintresolini.