After one loss, some are ready to completely pull the plug on the Phillies this year. Believe it or not, there are still 161 more games left.
Thursday was certainly not the way we wanted the season to start for the Phillies. The game started off so well before crumbling to pieces. After jumping to a 5-0 lead in the top of the sixth, Philadelphia eventually lost on a walk-off home run.
New manager Gabe Kapler’s decision-making before and during the game has been brought into major question. Leaving Odubel Herrera out of the starting lineup, pulling Aaron Nola 68 pitches into a strong start, swapping out Rhys Hoskins late in the game, and using Pedro Florimon as a pinch-hitter in the ninth have all been brought into question.
Kapler said prior to the game that Herrera was left out of the game because he felt it was the best time to do so over the next week based on the matchups the team will have. Since Nola is a ground-ball pitcher, Herrera’s exceptional outfield defense wasn’t as necessary. He also has not had very good numbers against Atlanta’s Julio Teheran. Kapler will have to juggle time for all four of the team’s outfielders and the numbers said Thursday was the best time to have Herrera sit.
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Then it was pulling Nola out after just 5.1 innings and 68 pitches. Conventional baseball wisdom says that if your starter is dealing – as Nola was – you ride him as long as you can. However, this early in the season, Kapler was worried about easing Nola into a heavy workload. In addition, opposing hitters had a .836 OPS against Nola the third time through the order. Forward-thinking baseball minds consider a starter facing a lineup a third time in a row a cardinal sin. The Dodgers certainly though that last year, and Kapler has brought that mindset to Philadelphia. It may not be what we all would have done, but pulling a starter a third time through the order is usually a good idea.
With Philadelphia’s lead still at 5-2, Kapler subbed in Herrera for Hoskins and re-aligned the outfield to have Herrera in center, Nick Williams in left, and Aaron Altherr in right. Hoskins was having a strong game at the plate, hitting two doubles with an RBI and a run scored. That late in the game, Kapler considered having Herrera instead of Hoskins in the outfield was a better option. Herrera never came to bat in the game, so that decision wasn’t as much of a factor, but it still enraged some.
Finally, with the game tied in the ninth, Kapler chose to use Florimon as a pinch-hitter to start the inning, who struck out. He still had Scott Kingery on the bench in this situation and most would’ve thought Kingery was a better option than Florimon.
All these decisions made by Kapler have brought up significant doubts about his ability to manage. He has drawn unfavorable comparisons to Chip Kelly for his utter devotion to analytics and how they guide his decision-making.
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Before we immediately throw in the towel on Kapler and this season, remember: there are 161 more games left to play. Everything that could have gone wrong did. Kapler’s decision-making certainly didn’t help the matter, but if Freddie Freeman had flown out instead of hitting a home run, pulling Nola would not be nearly as frowned upon. The relievers who allowed eight runs in 3.2 innings should be receiving at least some of the blame as well.
Baseball is a six-month-long grind that isn’t determined solely based on the result of one game to start the season. Could things have gone differently? Certainly. Should Kapler have made different decisions? Probably.
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Kapler’s decisions need to be looked at in aggregate, not just after one game. If he continues to out-manage himself as the season goes on, I will certainly campaign for change. With just one game under his belt, I’m not ready to bust out the torches and pitchforks.