Phillies' Mick Abel: Dazzles in debut

Abel (1-0) yielded five hits over six shutout frames Sunday, striking out nine and earning a win over the Pirates.

Abel was promoted for his MLB debut Sunday and put on a clinic. He fired 62 of 84 pitches for strikes and threw 16 first-pitch strikes to the 22 batters he faced. Abel generated 18 whiffs, including eight with his curveball and seven with a fastball that averaged 97.3 mph. The 23-year-old posted a 6.46 ERA through 108.2 frames with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2024, but he hit his stride this season with a 2.53 ERA across 46.1 innings before his promotion. It's unclear what the Phillies plan to do with Abel, but his next turn in the rotation would likely be on the road against the Athletics next weekend if he gets another start.