Five observations from Phillies series win over the Marlins

The Phillies took two of three games from the Marlins, bringing their record to 3-5 for the year. Here are five observations from the series.

The Phillies opened their season in poor fashion, winning just one of five games on the road against the Braves and the Mets. They came back to Philadelphia hoping to find success in front of their own fans.

The series started off strong with a 5-0 shutout win in the home opener Thursday. The team then exploded for 20 runs Saturday, scoring more in one game than they did all season long. The team lost Jake Arrieta’s regular-season debut as Miami rode two three-run innings to a 6-3 win.

As the Phillies prepare for another home series against the Reds, let’s take a look at five observations from the weekend series against the Marlins.

When the offense rains, it pours

In two games against the Mets last week, Philadelphia’s bats were as cold as the weather. They were shut out in the first game then scored just two runs in the second. They collected just eight hits combined in those two games.

Upon returning to Philadelphia, the offense picked up the pace. Maikel Franco led the way with a three-hit, four-RBI performance in the home opener. He then had a grand slam and six RBI total in the 20-1 thumping of the Marlins Saturday night. Altogether, the team racked up 20 hits, four home runs, two grand slams, four doubles, and six walks.

Sunday the team did have seven hits and four walks but left six runners on base. Runners were caught stealing twice. They only mustered one hit between the eighth and ninth innings after surrendering the lead. Maybe they should have saved some of the runs from the night before.

Arrieta solid after shaking off rust

Jake Arrieta certainly did not have the best start to his Phillies career. He allowed three runs in the opening inning of Sunday’s game. He gave up a solo home run to Miguel Rojas before two runs scored on a Braxton Lee blooper into left field.

The runs can’t entirely be attributed to Arrieta. With one out and a runner on second, Justin Bour grounded a ball to the left side of second base. J.P. Crawford, who was on the right side of second base due to a defensive shift against Bour, fielded the ball but couldn’t record the force out at second. Andrew Knapp committed catcher’s interference the next batter, loading the bases for Lee. Arrieta’s numbers became skewed because of the players behind him

After the first, Arrieta got into a groove. He needed 31 pitches to get through the first but needed just 43 for the next three innings. He ended his start with 10 pitches in the fourth. Altogether, Arrieta threw 74 pitches in four innings, striking out five while walking two.

Arrieta logged just four innings because he, Gabe Kapler, and pitching coach Rick Kranitz established a pitch count heading into the game. After missing so much of spring training, the team wants to make sure Arrieta is fully stretched out. He said after the game he felt very comfortable with the situation: [quote via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com]

“We had multiple conversations about the number [of pitches] and some of that was based on high-stress innings, low-stress innings and trying to find a good combination with those variables,” Arrieta said. “The first inning was really stressful, but I knew that after the third, I had an opportunity to get through four, maintain the score where it was and hand it over to the bullpen from there. “After the third, I knew I was working with about 10 pitches and I told Kap, ‘I’ll get through it in 10 pitches or less.'”

Arrieta’s next start will come Saturday against the Rays. He says he expects to throw 85-90 pitches.

Cesar Hernandez off to quiet hot start

It hasn’t been flashy, but Cesar Hernandez has quietly gotten off to quite the start this year for the Phillies. He has a .444 on-base percentage and 157 OPS+ in eight games so far. In the weekend series against the Marlins, Hernandez racked up five walks, including three in the home opener Thursday. This led to him scoring three runs in the series.

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After Saturday’s romp, Gabe Kapler made sure to praise Hernandez’s patience at the plate and the ability to work an at-bat, noting how it wouldn’t be a big storyline: [quote via Jed Weisberger of MLB.com]

“But something nobody will be talking about. It will get lost in all this, is the walk Cesar Hernandez had in the first inning to start this all off. He took [a 1-2] count and ended up with a walk. We keep stressing patience and going deep in counts.”

As mentioned previously, Kapler has stressed patience at the plate from his players. Hernandez is one of the shining examples of this patience, as he led the team in walks with 127 combined between 2016 and 2017. His seven walks are tied for the team lead with Rhys Hoskins and tied for 13th overall in the league.

J.P. Crawford continues to struggle

Tell me if you have heard this one before: J.P. Crawford is struggling to start the season. Just like last year in Triple-A, Crawford has gotten off to a cold start to the season. In seven games so far, he has recorded just one hit. Perhaps even more concerning is the fact that Crawford has had just one walk compared to eight strikeouts.

Despite that, Crawford remains confident that he can snap out of this funk, pointing towards the fact that he rebounded in the second half of last season: [quote via Todd Zolekci of MLB.com]

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“I started bad last year, too,” Crawford said. “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. I’m getting myself into good counts. I’m working the pitcher and just missing my pitches to hit. That’s about it… “I’m just trying to get shorter,” Crawford said. “It feels long right now, but once I get that taken care of I think I’ll be good. It’s tough [to fix]. You can be fine in the cages and whatnot, but then when the game comes you get all anxious and you get overexcited, and that’s when you get into trouble, trying to get all big. You have to remind yourself to stay short… “I’m not tripping,” Crawford said. “I’m not mad at all. I know the results will come. Keep putting in work every day. I know the results will come.”

Next: Five Phillies prospects land on updated BA Top 100

The team made a huge bet on Crawford succeeding this season as they traded away Freddy Galvis to the Padres over the offseason. They need him to turn things around, otherwise, they are going to look stupid for doing that.