Phillies: Five things learned from opening weekend sweep
By John Town
Control a major issue early
Philadelphia’s hitters found the right balance of hits and walks during the opening series, taking advantage of the erratic Braves pitching staff (more on that shortly). However, the Phillies also suffered from their own control issues during the series.
It started Opening Day when Aaron Nola walked a career-high five batters in six innings. He walked four batters four times last year and seven times total previously. Nola has never been a high-walk pitcher with a career 6.8% walk rate and 2.5 walks per nine innings, so this outing was hopefully just an anomaly.
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Nick Pivetta only gave up one walk but was battered for eight hits and four runs. He hit the zone just as often as he did last year (50%) but the Braves were able to make more contact on his pitches, both in and out of the zone.
Jake Arrieta issued six walks in six innings, the first time he has done so as a Phillie and the first time since June 27, 2017. Arrieta has only walked six or more batters in five of his 223 starts.
Between the conditions and the movement of his pitches, it’s not surprising to see Arrieta collect that many walks.
Altogether, the Phillies have walked 16 batters this year, ninth-most in the league. Their 14.3% walk rate is fifth-highest and 5.33 walks per nine innings are seventh-most. This has led to a 4.47 fielding-independent pitching despite a 3.67 ERA, the eighth-worst differential in the league.
In order for the team to succeed without the offense winning them every game, the pitching staff needs to settle down. Their walk rate was close to the bottom third last year, so the number of walks should decrease as the season progresses.