How the NL East Rotations are Shaping Up

For this installment of Centerfield, I'd like to study the starting rotations in the NL East. I'm only looking at the 1-4 pitchers, since those would be the ones involved in the playoffs, and because of the four teams, only Philadelphia has a 5th starter with at least 7 starts. For my measuring rod I am using quality starts, where a pitcher pitches at least six innings while giving up three runs or fewer. While no statistic is a tell-all in and of itself, the quality start identifies those pitchers who consistently keep their teams close enough to win ballgames. Even though Atlanta desperately needs more hitting, the starting rotation has to be considered the most reliable in the NL East. Note the following statistics: Atlanta Quality Starts for Pitchers 1-4 Starts QS Derek Lowe 14 9 64.3% Jair Jurrjens 14 8 57.1% Javier Vazquez 14 9 64.3% Kenshin Kawakami 12 4 33.3% 54 30 55.6% Note that both Lowe and Jurrjens have had good starts shortened by rain ... and Vazquez left one game, leading, after giving up one earned run in five innings. New York Mets QS for Pitchers 1-4 Starts QS Santana 13 9 69.2% Maine 11 6 54.5% Pelfrey 12 5 41.7% Hernandez 12 6 50.0% 48 26 54.1% Philadelphia Phillies QS for Pitchers 1-4 Starts QS Hamels 12 6 50.0% Myers 10 6 60.0% Blanton 12 7 58.3% Moyer 13 5 38.5% 47 24 51.1% Florida Marlins QS for Pitchers 1-4 Starts QS Johnson 14 12 85.7% Volstad 14 8 57.1% Nolasco 11 3 27.3% Miller 9 2 22.2% 48 25 52.1% Not a bad start-we have to give Frank Wren and the Braves front office credit for assembling a very durable starting rotation. If Kawakami acclimates well to American baseball, then our 1-4 stacks up well with most teams in Major League baseball. Plus, this doesn't take Tommy Hanson and Tim Hudson in consideration. Also, note that Atlanta's 1-4 starters have started more games than each of their division rivals. This attests to the durability and reliability of those pitchers, and it preserves the bullpen for the late season charge that Atlanta hopefully will be mounting.