Phillies sluggers Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins have struggled this postseason.
After Wednesday night’s loss in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, it was made clear that the Philadelphia Phillies offense needs change.
Rob Thomson’s squad only recorded three hits the entire game and put up a “goose egg” in the run column. Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Kyle Wright bewildered the Phillies all game — not allowing a run in a start for the first time since August.
Considering that the pitching teams face in the postseason is far better than what they see in the regular season, it is understandable why the Phillies offense floundered. After all, they knocked one of the best pitchers in the National League out of the game in the fourth inning of Game 1.
Two hitters in the Phillies lineup have had a surprisingly unproductive postseason thus far. That would be their one and two hitters — Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins, respectively. Schwarber — who hit 46 home runs in the regular season — has not recorded a hit yet against either the Cardinals or Braves. In fact, he has not even reached base in a single game. When your leadoff hitter is an automatic out, your offense will not be at its best.
Additionally, Hoskins’ postseason debut has not been what he would have hoped for. By misplaying a seemingly routine ground ball, he cost Zack Wheeler and company what could have been the final out of the sixth inning. The scorekeepers listed it as a Matt Olson single, but we’ll leave that up for your interpretation:
Matt Olson puts the Braves on top! pic.twitter.com/aOfnP05tkg
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 13, 2022
According to The Athletic’s Jayson Stark, this is a normal occurrence for Hoskins:
Rhys Hoskins graded out at minus-6 Outs Above Average at first base this season.
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) October 13, 2022
That ranked last among all NL first basemen who played at least 1,000 innings at first.
Aside from Hoskins’ defensive struggles, the Phillies’ No. 2 hitter has not swung the bat well either. He is 1-for-18 in the postseason — compiling a .167 OPS and six strikeouts. In what could be his final games with Philadelphia, Hoskins is not performing the way he should be.
It is unknown if any lineup changes will be made by Thomson in Games 3 and 4, but the hope is that Schwarber and Hoskins will figure things out when they return to Citizens Bank Park. Nonetheless, it will be difficult for the Phillies to win games without flawless execution from the pitching staff. The offense needs to get going in a hurry.