Former Phillie Kyle Lohse had another strong outing on Sunday, fueling more speculation why the Phillies didn’t retain the starting pitcher. Lohse pitched seven shutout innings against the Nationals picking up the win. He is 1-0 this season and has yet to allow a run in 12 innings.

Lohse was a key acquisition in the Phillies playoff drive last season when he went 3-0 in 11 starts down the stretch. In the off-season, Lohse was looking for a payday, with demand up to $60 million for five years. The Phillies did offer Lohse a three-year contract worth $21 million, but he turned in hopes of landing a bigger deal.

When Lohse became one of the many casualties of Scott Boras this past off-season, it was reported the Lohse went back to the Phillies looking for a deal, but it was too little too late. They already had moved on, signing Kris Benson.

With Benson rehabbing from rotator cuff surgery and the Phillies pitching having early struggles, many are keeping an eye on Lohse and what “could have been”.

While Lohse has had a strong start to the season, and working with Cardinal pitching coach Dave Duncan will help him, I still don’t find Lohse to be an impact pitcher. In his brief time with the Phillies I saw a pitcher who would challenge hitters until he had two strikes on them. Then he danced around the strike zone, trying to hit the corners until the count was full, forcing him to put the ball over the plate. It’s possible Duncan has instilled confidence in him to improve that, but I don’t see this hot streak continuing long term.

Regardless it doesn’t stop Phillies fans from discussing what could have been, and how stupid could the front office be for letting him walk. Eventually when Lohse comes back to reality that will change; but expect the hot streak to continue at least through his next start. He’s facing the Giants who have the leagues worst offense.