CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 28: Kyle Schwarber #12 and Nick Castellanos #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrate after Schwarber hit a home run in the third inning against the Baltimore Orioles during a Grapefruit League spring training game at BayCare Ballpark on March 28, 2022 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
On the one hand, they made serious upgrades to the lineup and some pretty solid bullpen additions. On the other hand, there’s the starting rotation; Zack Wheeler got off to a slow start in the spring, Zach Eflin is attempting to bounce back from knee surgery, Ranger Suárez is going to try for his first full season in the rotation, Aaron Nola is coming off a terrible 2021 campaign as he heads into free agency, and Kyle Gibson is in a contract year, as well. The club is also dealing with a few sidelined players, namely Odúbel Herrera and Mickey Moniak.
Only one week into the regular season, it’s way too early to freak out about problems or feel confident in the things that are going right. That said, here are three emerging trends to keep an eye on as the season progresses:
1. Streaky hitting and run-scoring
The Phillies’ offense has been inconsistent for years, but the new additions of Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos were supposed to help balance and strengthen the lineup.
However, since their 9-run barrage on Opening Day, the Phillies have only scored more than four runs twice, and have already lost two games by scoring one run and getting shut out entirely. In Thursday’s series opener against the Miami Marlins, the Phillies scored first in the top of the first inning, but then lost 4-3, despite Bryce Harper’s first home run of the season as well as multi-hit games from Didi Gregorius and J.T. Realmuto, who went 4-for-4.
Presumably, replacing the pitcher’s spot in the lineup with the Universal DH would also improve the Phillies’ chances at hitting and scoring more consistently, but so far, it has not been the case.
Hopefully, this is just a case of a short spring and a slow start, but it’s been frustrating to watch and certainly won’t help them end their postseason drought.
Apr 8, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Bryson Stott (5) gives a thumbs up before the first pitch against the Oakland Athletics on opening day at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
2. The Alec Bohm-Bryson Stott-Didi Gregorius-Johan Camargo platoon cannot continue
Didi Gregorius and Johan Camargo’s contracts are up at the end of this year, but that’s too far down the road for the Phillies to just sit around and wait. For Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott’s sakes, the Phillies need to pick a lane and drive in it for a while.
It’s one thing to move your infielders around when something hasn’t been working for a week or two, it’s another to switch up the lineup every night and never give your youngest players a chance to find their footing. Bohm made three errors in seven chances in a three-inning span during one of the Mets games, and Stott is learning to play third base on the fly because the Phillies couldn’t extract themselves from the Gregorius contract.
Bohm and Stott both need ample playing time to develop, but there isn’t room for everyone, which means one of them should probably spend some time in Triple-A. After Stott’s spring training performance, it seemed like he more than earned the roster spot over Bohm, yet they both made the cut and are now sharing.
The Phillies want to have their cake and eat it, too, but what they’re really doing by trying to have it both ways is risking spoiling everything.
Apr 13, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Seranthony Dominguez (58) throws a pitch against the New York Mets during the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
3. The bullpen is…….. good?!
In 2021, the Phillies bullpen blew 34 saves to tie the MLB all-time single-season record. It was embarrassing, especially considering they sometimes blew multiple saves in one game.
However, so far, the bullpen is doing fairly well, especially considering Aaron Nola and Kyle Gibson both got knocked out of their starts on the early side this week after allowing three and four runs, respectively. Gibson’s four earned runs were the only ones the Marlins were able to score in Thursday’s series opener, as the bullpen came in and combined for 4 1/3 shutout frames.
There are a few concerns already, as the Phillies sent Connor Brogdon down to Triple-A, and placed Sam Coonrod on the 60-Day IL. But overall, the bullpen is picking up the rotation’s slack.
Of course, helping out the rotation is how the bullpen got so overtired and overworked last season, so this might not be the best trend after all.
