Phillies Notebook: Clock is already ticking for the Phils
Pivotal road trip is ahead
Delaware County Daily Times: https://tinyurl.com/59kz9w8f
PHILADELPHIA — As Yogi Berra said, it’s getting late early.
The Major League Baseball season is only in its fourth week and roughly 141 games remain, but the Phillies entered their series finale against Atlanta having lost eight of their last 10 games.
With Saturday night’s defeat, they’ve dropped four straight series. They’re hovering near the bottom of the division, just above the melting-down Mets, while the first-place Braves look like the real deal.
Last year, it was the Braves who stumbled out of the gate (5-13) and they never fully recovered. As the Phillies embark on a seven-game road trip, the “it’s still early” rationalization is rapidly wearing thin.
“We’ve just got to play better baseball,” manager Rob Thomson said. “It’s about executing — throwing strikes, getting timely hits, doing the little things. … That’s the game.
“You’ve just got to keep grinding, stick with the process.”
Right-hander Taijuan Walker has had a disastrous start to the season (1-3, 9.16 ERA, 2.036 WHIP), and lefty Jesús Luzardo (1-3, 7.94, 1.456) has had his share of struggles. But Luzardo has a history of steering back on track. And if everything runs smoothly, veteran ace Zack Wheeler will return from rehab this week and Walker will be out of the rotation — though Walker is currently slated for one more start.
Relievers Jhoan Duran and Jonathan Bowlan are on the injured list, so it’s even more important that Brad Keller, Jose Alvarado and Orion Kerkering step up in the bullpen. The bigger concern has been the offense — not just the lack of hits, but the way many at-bats have unfolded.
Too often, the Phillies have looked impatient early in counts and vulnerable once they fall behind. The lineup has chased pitches far out of the zone, struggled to string together quality plate appearances and tried to win at-bats with one swing.
Even when they seem to break out of it, like in last Monday’s 13-7 victory over the Cubs, they revert to old habits.
The Phillies’ early-season struggles against left-handed pitching have been well-documented. They’re batting just .176 against lefties, among the worst marks in the majors. Their production against southpaws has cratered to roughly a .510 OPS.
Last year, Philadelphia was solid in those matchups, hitting .252 with a .745 OPS against lefties — good enough to rank among the better teams in the league.
The issues at the plate have also shown up in the strikeout column. Entering the series finale against Atlanta, the Phillies had 175 punchouts — the third-most in the majors. They strike out approximately 23% of the time, failing to put pressure on opposing defenses.
Until the lineup shows more discipline and a willingness to grind through plate appearances — especially against left-handed pitching — the offense may continue to sputter, regardless of talent.
“It’s a long season,” said catcher J.T. Realmuto, who has been dealing with lower back soreness. “But you don’t want to dig yourself a hole early. We’ve got to clean up some things and start playing the way we know we can.”
Why not run?
Instead of a feast-or-famine approach on offense, the Phillies could employ some small ball to manufacture runs and provide a spark. For a roster loaded with speed, the Phillies haven’t used it.
Entering the series finale against Atlanta, the Phils had stolen just 10 bases on 13 attempts, ranking 26th in the majors. Several clubs have already topped 25–30 steals this April as teams continue to exploit the larger bases and pickoff limits.
That makes the Phillies’ inactivity stand out. Trea Turner, one of baseball’s premier base stealers when he wants to be, and rookie Justin Crawford — who swiped 60 bases in the minors last year — give the lineup two obvious running threats. Brandon Marsh, Bryson Stott and even Bryce Harper could also run more.
But the Phils have rarely tested opposing batteries
The Phillies ran a fair amount last year, so they aren’t opposed to it philosophically. They weren’t a high-volume running team, finishing 12th in the majors with 124 steals, but they were efficient, converting more than 80% of their attempts. Turner’s 36 steals led the club, with Bryson Stott adding 24.
Right now, they’re on pace for 65% of that team total.
Sosa’s difficult week
Edmundo Sosa’s big moment early last week didn’t carry over in the ensuing days.
Sosa crushed a three-run homer and went 2-for-4 in the Phillies’ loss to the Cubs last Tuesday, briefly reigniting talk about giving the versatile infielder more starts.
Since that performance, Sosa struggled to find consistency at the plate while filling in as a starter third and second, and his fielding miscue opened the door to three unearned runs in Saturday’s loss. A night earlier, he was waving at pitches 6-10 inches out of the zone.
Last Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, Sosa went 2-for-11 with four strikeouts and stranded three runners in scoring position.
Follow Christiaan DeFranco on X and Threads at @the_defranc.