Yup, it's a rotation showdown. As the season goes on, I'm going to compare the Phillies' vaunted rotation to Atlanta's famed group of 1997, which featured Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Denny Neagle at their respective peaks.
Atlanta's characters: John Smoltz (35 starts), Denny Neagle (34), Greg Maddux (33), Tom Glavine (33), Terrell Wade (9), Kevin Millwood (8), Chris Brock (6), Paul Byrd (4)
Philadelphia's characters: Roy Halladay (11 starts), Cliff Lee (11), Cole Hamels (10), Roy Oswalt (8), Joe Blanton (6), Vance Worley (3), Kyle Kendrick (2)
The Traditional Stats
| STAT | W-L | PCT | ERA | WHIP | BAA |
| 11 PHI | 23-14 | 62.1 | 3.18 | 1.17 | 0.246 |
| 97 ATL | 75-37 | 66.9 | 3.05 | 1.15 | 0.237 |
| STAT | K/9 | BB/9 | HR/9 | K/BB |
| 11 PHI | 8.51 | 1.98 | 0.57 | 4.29 |
| 97 ATL | 6.92 | 2.22 | 0.64 | 3.12 |
The Advanced Metrics
(Note: For ERA- and FIP-, the league average is 100, and a lower figure is better.)
| STAT | FIP | ERA- | FIP- | fWAR |
| 11 PHI | 2.59 | 84 | 69 | 9.8 |
| 97 ATL | 3.30 | 73 | 78 | 26.4 |