PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies searched for starting pitching depth in the weeks ahead of the trade deadline, prioritizing the position as they scouted the market. Even on Monday, in the hours before the deadline, league sources, granted anonymity to discuss private trade conversations, said the Phillies continued to seek starting pitching.But 6 p.m. ET came and went, and the Phillies did not add a starting pitcher. It is a remarkable and likely consequential decision for a team that has gone 5-22 from the fifth spot in the rotation — a gaping hole that has been one of the club’s biggest flaws.“I’ve said this all along: you always want to get better at every position,” president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “But we feel that if we can make it to the postseason, our starting rotation’s in really solid shape. Other people are looking to add to their top three. In our situation here, that wasn’t a necessity.If we were going to do it and add somebody, they would have had to be significantly better, in our opinion, than Andrew (Painter), than just acquiring another arm.”Which MLB teams did the most?Levi Weaver and Madison EadesShould the Phillies reach the postseason, their top three starters — Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sánchez — would rival any other team’s. But, in order to get to October, they must have some level of competency from their fourth and fifth starters. Now, the Phillies are betting Aaron Nola and Painter can provide that.It is a gamble, even after Nola took a step forward in July. He produced a 4.34 ERA in 29 innings last month after beginning the season with a 6.04 across the first three months. Monday, Nola pitched six innings, and gave up three runs in the first two frames. He has performed like a strong fifth starter at times. But therein lies the problem: Nola is not the Phillies’ fifth starter, but their fourth. And the Phillies would need four starters perhaps in the NLDS, and certainly if they reached the NLCS.