Everything looks better when you win, but the numbers for the runs you’ve scored and allowed look a whole lot better. The Phillies have scored about 4.22 runs per game this year, but about 5.53 in games they’ve won and just 2.03 in the games they’ve lost.

It’s true of preventing runs, too. The Phils have allowed about 3.24 runs per game on average — about 2.09 in the games they won and about 5.18 in the games they lost.

Here’s what the starters and pen have done in the games the Phils won and lost so far this year:

In wins In losses
IP per Game ERA Ratio IP per Game ERA Ratio
Starters 7.12 2.02 0.96 5.66 4.87 1.43
Relievers 2.12 1.79 0.98 3.29 4.82 1.65

As good as those numbers are, the Phillies won some games in the first half without great or even good starting pitching. For example, on April 6, Blanton allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings in his start, but the Phils won anyway, topping the Mets 10-7. In the same way, good starting pitching didn’t guarantee a win for the Phils in the first half. On May 10 and May 15, Halladay threw two complete games, allowing four earned runs in sixteen innings between the starts and the Phils lost both of them. And, of course, you can win with bad relief or lose with good relief. Opening day the pen allowed three runs in three innings in relief of Halladay and the Phils hung on to win 5-4 anyway. Three days later, the bullpen allowed a run in 6 1/3 innings and the Phils lost by six runs thanks to a miserable start by Hamels.

But, as the numbers above show, if you look at enough games the numbers for the games you won are a whole lot better than the numbers for the games you lost.

It did make me wonder, though, about the Phillies record so far this year based on how well their starters and relievers have pitched.

The Phils have played 91 games so far this year. The bullpen has pitched in 80 of them — all but the 11 complete games. The Phils went 9-2 in the 11 games where they got complete games, losing Halladay’s starts mentioned above on May 10 and May 15.

For starting pitchers, we have the quality start stat and know that the Phillies have gone 48-13 in their 61 quality starts so far this year. The table below also shows the Phillies record so far in games where either their starter or relievers have pitched well — pitching well in this case defined as throwing to both an ERA under 4.00 and a ratio of under 1.30 for that game.

G QS W-L Games pitched
well (ERA < 4.00 and ratio < 1.30)		 W-L in those
games
Starters 91 61 48-13 55 43-12
Relievers 80 - - 41 32-9

Again defining pitching well as an outing where the starter threw to both an ERA under 4.00 and a ratio of under 1.30 or all the relievers who pitched in the game combined to do the same, here are the records for the Phillies for this year:

Record WPCT
SP pitched well 43-12 .782
SP didn’t pitch well 14-22 .389
Bullpen didn’t pitch 9-2 .819
Bullpen pitched well 32-9 .780
Pen didn’t pitch well 16-23 .410
Pen and SP both not good 2-14 .125
Pen and SP both good 20-1 .952
SP good but pen not 23-11 .676
Pen good but SP not 12-8 .600

Defining pitching well as throwing to an ERA under 4.00 and a ratio under 1.30 is far from ideal. For example, looking at the 2-14 record when both the starters and relievers pitched badly, one of the two wins came on May 27 against the Mets. On that day, Oswalt allowed just one earned run in his six innings, but because he allowed nine hits his ratio is above 1.30 and he doesn’t go into the pitched well category.

Finally, using that definition of pitching well, things worked out well for the Phils in the first half in games where both the starters and relievers pitched well. They went 20-1, with the only loss coming against Seattle on June 19 — in that game Hamels allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings and the pen added 1 2/3 scoreless, but the Phils didn’t score and lost 2-0.

Halladay will start tonight’s All-Star game.