NL East, Meet J.A. Happ

(Image courtesy AP/Tom Mihalek)

Is his name J.A., Jay, or something else? No matter what his name is, J.A. Happ, the Phillies' 26-year old lefty, just continues to win.

Sound exaggerated?

Not really. He is 6-0 so far this season, and just moments ago left the Phillies/Marlins game with a 4-0 lead behind seven shutout innings. As Phillies' broadcaster Tom McCarthy so astutely pointed out, this was the fifth straight start for Happ where he went seven innings or further. And to think that at the beginning of this season, he lost the battle for the fifth starting pitcher slot to Chan Ho Park (and I think we all know how that ended up.)

Ever since Happ took over, he has been nothing short of masterful in his 10 outings. His WHIP prior to Sunday's outing (walks/hits per inning) is a remarkable 1.17, and with the exception of his first outing, where his pitch count was being watched closely, he has gone at least 5 1/3 innings in every start. He has given up no more than 5 earned runs in any of said starts, either.

What is his formula, anyway? There is no way a pitcher with a 90 MPH fastball at its best and a changeup and a curveball should have this much success, the average fan probably thinks. He also only has 61 strikeouts in 87 innings prior to Sunday. What on earth could he be doing to have so much success?

Many within the Phillies organization have attributed J.A's success to his ability to hide the baseball so well in his glove that batters can't pick up on the ball until it's halfway to them, at times. He also has a "poker face" on the mound, as manager Charlie Manuel stated in an analogy, citing Happ's great mindset and quiet confidence.

So let's review. 16 career starts. 1 career loss. One loss in sixteen outings is sensational for ANY starting pitcher, let alone a rookie. Would it really be worth potentially packaging Happ in a deal for Roy Halladay? The jury is out on that decision, but with his success, Happ must be a piece the Phillies would be reluctant to lose.

So, NL East batters, if you haven't met him yet, this is J.A. Happ, the pitcher who just doesn't lose.