PHILADELPHIA _ In his second start ever for the Phillies, the ninth start of his major-league career, Vince Velasquez racked up 16 strikeouts in a three-hit shutout of the San Diego Padres.
It was a peek at Velasquez's potential.
But it was also way back on April 14, 2016. And while it was both unfair and unrealistic to hold Velasquez to that standard of dominance, the Phillies waited for much of the past three years for him to string together enough consistently solid starts to be counted on as a reliable member of the starting rotation.
The wait is over.
Velasquez flummoxed the Miami Marlins on Friday night at jam-packed Citizens Bank Park, blanking them for 61/3 innings of a 5-1 victory that kept the Phillies in first place by a half-game over the Atlanta Braves. He pounded the strike zone, throwing 66 strikes out of 85 pitches, fanning seven batters and walking only one. He gave up two hits, none until the fifth inning.
And this wasn't some isolated gem, either. For nearly two months, Velasquez has quietly pitched as well as almost any starter in baseball. In eight starts since June 9, he has a 2.14 ERA, best among National League starters and fourth-best in baseball during that span behind only Boston's Chris Sale (0.69), Cleveland's Trevor Bauer (2.00) and Tampa Bay's Blake Snell (2.11).
It's exactly what the Phillies always envisioned from Velasquez when they acquired him from the Houston Astros for closer Ken Giles in one of the first trades made by general manager Matt Klentak. And if you're wondering who might start Game 3 of a playoff series if these upstart Phillies should get that far, Velasquez is pulling ahead of fellow right-handers Nick Pivetta and Zach Eflin in that competition.
On a night when former center fielder Shane Victorino returned to town to retire as a member of the Phillies, Velasquez once again received little support. When he left the game, the Phillies led 1-0 on the strength of a rally started by none other than Velasquez himself. He doubled to lead off the third inning, went to third base on Cesar Hernandez flyout and scored on a single by Rhys Hoskins.
That's all the offense the Phillies mustered against Marlins starter Trevor Richards. They tacked on one run in the seventh inning and broke open the game with three in the eighth. In between, Seranthony Dominguez recorded an enormous inning-ending strikeout of Marlins All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto with runners on the corners in the eighth.
But Velasquez pitched without any margin for error, not that he needed it. He set down the Marlins in order on eight pitches in the first inning and nine in the second, then struck out the side on 13 pitches in the third. He pitched around a one-out walk in the fourth inning before giving up a two-out single in the fifth to Miguel Rojas, who was erased by catcher Jorge Alfaro in an attempted steal of second base.
Velasquez was the beneficiary of stellar defense in the sixth. Third baseman Maikel Franco made a diving stop of a bouncer by Magneuris Sierra and a strong throw to first base. Sierra was initially called safe, but umpire Sean Barber's call was overturned after a replay challenge.
The Phillies could have stuck with Velasquez for longer. But manager Gabe Kapler pulled him with one out in the seventh inning after 85 pitches in a move designed to keep Velasquez strong as he gets closer to his career-high of 131 major-league innings in a season.
Velasquez has become that important to the Phillies' chances.
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