Offense Comes Out Stagnant as Phillies Fall to Division-Rival Atlanta Braves
John Adams/Icon Sportswire
I am exaggerating, of course, but Whit Merrifield goes from needing a cricket bat to get a hit as a Phillie to being a respectable bat for a division rival. The next two games are going to show whether the Phillies are simply taking advantage of bad teams like the Nationals, or if they have actually rebounded from their struggles.
Struggles Atop the Lineup
Bingo! I found your problem. The Phillies put a lot of pressure on Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper by putting them in the 1-3 spots. They are three of the best bats on the team. It’s an open secret that a lot of this team’s success rides on those bats, and tonight, their performances were unacceptable. Overall, the three went 0-12 in game one.
Don’t be mistaken—the lack of success is not by a lack of chances. In the top of the second, the Phillies had runners on first and second with just one out. J.T. Realmuto, another guy who has a lot riding on his success at the dish, strikes out swinging on a ball nowhere near the strike zone, in a 3-2 count, nonetheless. Marsh works a walk the very next at bat, and if Realmuto doesn’t go fishing, a run would have crossed the plate. Instead, Johan Rojas strikes out with the bases loaded, leaving Schwarber on deck. This inning is what Phillies baseball has been in a nutshell since the all-star break. Luckily, thought, it’s not over.
I know I just dug in on Realmuto, but—to his credit—he gets the team on the board with an RBI single and brings Marsh to the plate with runners on first and second again and nobody out. An almost identical scenario leads to an almost identical result: Marsh strikes out, and Johan Rojas grounds out. Realmuto’s single would be the last hit the Phillies would record all night.
This level of offensive ineptitude is unacceptable. No team can survive without production from the front and back of the order. Combined, the 1-3 and 6-9 hitters recorded one hit in 20 at-bats. That can never happen, especially against a team as talented as the Braves.
More Good Pitching Wasted
Rain or shine, Zack Wheeler has been a rock for the Phillies this year. He pitched six quality innings, allowing just two runs and putting the team in a position to start off the big series with a win. From there, it was off to the bullpen and it was the same story as it’s been for a month now.
Orion Kerkering pitched a shutout seventh inning, and then Jose Alvarado happened. It pains me to say this because I absolutely love Jose Alvarado, but he has just been flat-out bad all season. It’s an open secret he’s very hit or miss due to his control issues, but at some point, you must sit back and realize he’s only missed.
The entire game came down to three moments, all of which the Braves won. The top of the second inning, the top of the fourth inning, and Jose Alvarado’s bottom of the eighth.
Frustration has been the Phillies motto for just about a month now, and this game was no different. Wasted opportunities a plenty in a game we flat out should have won.
The Phillies will face off against the Braves once again this evening, looking for redemption in game two of a three-game set in Atlanta.
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