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Phillies MLB Opening Day 2019: Four things we learned from a big win

By John Town |
Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 28: Fans pose for a photo prior to a game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, March 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 28: Fans pose for a photo prior to a game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, March 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

The Phillies opened up their season with a bang thanks to a 10-4 win over the Braves. What can we take away from the exciting win?

The Phillies came away with a big win over the Braves on Opening Day. What did we learn from the first of hopefully many wins this season?

Excitement for Bryce Harper only lasts so long

Since Bryce Harper signed with the Phillies, the fans have been gnawing at the bit to see him play on Opening Day. His spring training debut was the most-watched spring game for the team since 2012. Tickets for the season opener doubled in price within an hour of the reported signing.

When Harper was first introduced in the starting lineup, he received quite the welcome from the crowd:

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Then when Harper made his way out to right field, he got another ovation from the fans in the stands:

When Harper came up to bat for the first time, he got yet another ovation from the fans. Even when he grounded out to first base in that at-bat, he still received cheers on his way back to the dugout.

However, that warm feeling didn’t last for too long. After Harper struck out with no outs with Jean Segura standing on third base in the fourth and struck out again in the fifth, boos could be heard coming down from the seats.

It’s not all that surprising to see this happen to Harper. With all the fans that packed Citizens Bank Park for the game, some were bound to be looking for the chance to boo Harper. It likely won’t be the last time Harper strikes out with a runner in scoring position, so the boos will keep on coming.

The hope is that Harper will produce more often than not in those scenarios. As nearly the entire crowd showed when the game first started, the majority of the fanbase is behind Harper and wants him to succeed. He will get plenty of other chances to show why he earned his big-money contract.

Harper ended his day 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. He picked up an outfield assist in the second inning, already topping his season total from last year.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 28: Andrew McCutchen #22 of the Philadelphia Phillies rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park on March 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 28: Andrew McCutchen #22 of the Philadelphia Phillies rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park on March 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

Lineup depth miles better

Thanks to the Phillies’ offseason additions, they came into the year with the deepest lineup they’ve had in years. We saw Thursday just what that lineup can do when it is firing on all cylinders.

The first example of this depth came up in the fourth inning with the game tied 1-1. Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins both struck out with Jean Segura on third base, leading to a sense of despair that the team would waste a golden opportunity.

Instead, J.T. Realmuto walked before Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez hit back-to-back RBI singles to give Philadelphia the lead they would never relinquish. Maikel Franco made his presence known two innings later with a two-out, three-run home run.

In years past, the bottom half of lineups featured players like Freddy Galvis, Tommy Joseph, and Michael Saunders. Now with capable hitters like Herrera, Hernandez, and Franco hitting at the bottom of the lineup instead of below-average players, the team can still generate runs from there.

The top of the lineup then showed its potency in the seventh inning. Andrew McCutchen walked and Segura singled and forced a throwing error to put runners on second and third with no outs. Not wanting to face Harper, the Braves opted to intentionally walk Harper and try their luck with Hoskins. The first baseman, quiet up until that point in the game, showed what happens when you try to avoid pitching to Harper:

The pairing of Harper and Hoskins will create situations like this all season long. If you pitch to Harper, he can take you deep. If you avoid him, then Hoskins can make you pay. It’s a real catch-22 that will play out all season long.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 28: Starting pitcher Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitching the first inning against the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park on March 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 28: Starting pitcher Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitching the first inning against the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park on March 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

Aaron Nola ramps up as the game goes on

In 2018, if you didn’t get to Aaron Nola early, you likely weren’t going to get to him at all. In 33 first innings last year, Nola had a 4.36 ERA. In every other inning he pitched combined, he had a 2.02 ERA.

While the Braves could not get to Nola in the first inning, they were able to in the second thanks to some small ball. Ronald Acuna walked and stole second base to open up the inning. Nick Markakis poked a single through the right side of the single to score Acuna, providing Atlanta’s only run against Nola.

From then on, Nola only allowed one more hit and struck out seven more batters. His pitches looked better and better as the game went on, making batter after batter just look foolish.

While Nola was pretty much unhittable (just two allowed all game) his control wavered at times. He walked five batters total, a career high for the 25-year-old. Three of those walks came in the second inning, but Nola was able to escape with only one run allowed.

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Two more walks came in the sixth, Nola’s final inning, but he got some help from catcher J.T. Realmuto, throwing out Freddie Freeman stealing. Realmuto helped out Nola all game long with his pitch framing, getting several close strike calls from the home plate umpire.

Nola’s final line was two hits, one earned run allowed, five walks, and eight strikeouts in six innings. It certainly wasn’t Nola’s best outing, but he still delivered a strong performance on Opening Day.

Even better, Gabe Kapler actually pulled Nola at the right time this season.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 28: Pat Neshek #93 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park on March 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MARCH 28: Pat Neshek #93 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch in the ninth inning against the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day at Citizens Bank Park on March 28, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /

Bullpen could be better

The offense fired on all cylinders and Aaron Nola got the job done on Thursday, but one negative during the game was the bullpen. Of course, it was only one game, but it is still worth noting.

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Hector Neris came in to relieve Nola in the seventh. Neris opened up his 2018 season by allowing a walk-off home run to Nick Markakis before huge struggles throughout the first half. This prompted a demotion at midseason, but he returned strong for August and September, striking out 51% of opposing hitters.

Hoping that Neris had turned things around at the end of last year, the team is looking to use him in high-leverage situations this year. That idea hasn’t gone well so far.

Neris got two groundouts to start the seventh but got into trouble once Dansby Swanson hit a double down the left field line.

Matt Joyce then rocked Neris for a deep home run to right field, making the game 6-3 at that point. He started off 2019 similarly to 2018, which isn’t a great sign.

Rhys Hoskins ensured Philadelphia’s win with his grand slam in the top of the seventh, but new acquisition David Robertson still entered the game anyway in the eighth. He didn’t get off to a great start to his Phillies career, walking Josh Donaldson, giving up back-to-back singles and a run before recording a single out. Thankfully, he settled down from there, getting a double play and pop out to end the inning.

Pat Neshek also gave up a hit to start the ninth inning but made up for it with a slick catch that he turned into a double play on a comebacker. He ended the game by striking out Johan Camargo to cap off the win.

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The performance of the bullpen wound up not mattering thanks to the team’s offensive production. Still, after seeing last year’s bullpen struggles, it would’ve been nice to see it get off to a better start.

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