Trade deadline acquisitions are starting to pay dividends to NL East teams.
On Wednesday, it was first baseman Josh Bell as the one who had a solid debut for the Miami Marlins against the Philadelphia Phillies, going 4-for-5 with a home run.
However, Thursday belonged to Phillies deadline star Michael Lorenzen.
Acquired from the Detroit Tigers for a prospect, Lorenzen had a dream start to his Phillies career, as explained by MLB insider Bob Nightengale.
“Quite the #Phillies debut for Michael Lorenzen: 8 IP, 6 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, 101 pitches. Phillies win 4-2 over the #Marlins,” he tweeted.
Quite the #Phillies debut for Michael Lorenzen:
8 IP
6 hits
2 Runs
1 walk
5 strikeouts
101 pitches
Phillies win 4-2 over the #Marlins— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 3, 2023
Lorenzen was one of the most sought-after pitching commodities at the deadline.
He entered the game with a 3.58 ERA while pitching on a mediocre Tigers team.
Now, he gets to join a playoff race, and seemed inspired about it.
He notched a quality start with just two earned runs in eight innings, giving the Phillies the edge they needed.
Now, his season ERA is down to 3.48 with a 1.08 WHIP and 88 strikeouts in 113.2 innings of work.
Lorenzen is not an ace, but he is good enough to slot right behind Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler in the Phils’ rotation.
His presence will give Philadelphia another quality arm to navigate through the second half and possibly the postseason.
The Phillies know that, to get there, they needed to get quality pitching, and they got a good one in Lorenzen.
Will it be enough?
We don’t know, but at least for a day on Thursday, he was too much to handle for the Marlins.
NEXT: Phillies Acquire Top Available Pitcher Before The Deadline
