The Philadelphia Phillies managed to rebound from a difficult opening game loss with a 6-4 win against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday. After an 11-4 loss on Wednesday, they bounced back again on Thursday with a 6-4 win to split the series. Even still, the Phillies have plenty to work on to build on their rocky start to the season.
Two players who have been dealing with bad starts are third baseman Alec Bohm and outfielder Brandon Marsh. After notching an RBI triple in Thursday's series finale against the Giants, Bohm now has a .411 OPS with a line of .173/.184/.227 in 18 games. The Phillies wanted to give Marsh another chance to be an everyday center fielder this year — it has not worked out three weeks into the regular season. His hitless streak has reached 14 games, as he has gone 0-for-31.
What do Bohm and Marsh need to do to save their jobs?
Struggling Phillies Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh still have a ways to go to turn their bad starts around
Both players have a long way to go to turn their seasons around. Manager Rob Thomson moved Bohm lower in the batting order, to the sixth, seventh and eighth spots, to get him going. The Phillies' former first-round pick has gone 5-for-30 with one double, a triple and two RBIs since dropping lower in the lineup.
His RBI during the April 15 game versus San Francisco was significant in helping Philadelphia earn a win. Bohm still needs to generate plenty more offense to reduce any buzz about his playing time being in jeopardy.
"That’s the game right there, right?” Bohm said about his timely fourth-inning at-bat on Tuesday, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. “You think, ‘Oh, there was my chance.’ You can either let that go one way and ruin the rest of the day, or just keep playing the game. And you know, the game gives you another opportunity. So, I think just play the game, take what it gives you.”
Edmundo Sosa and Kody Clemens are two utility players who are the reserves to play in place of the Phillies' third baseman. However, Thomson prefers to keep both players in their current backup roles. Bohm has proven to be a starting third baseman over the last few years, including a successful first half in 2024 that resulted in him making his first All-Star Game. He will be given a longer opportunity than Marsh to turn things around.
Brandon Marsh has a steeper hill to climb
Due to his poor start, Marsh will presumably share more time in center field with Johan Rojas. The Buford, Georgia, native is more suited to a platoon role, as his bat has not been reliable enough to be a full-time starter since the Phillies acquired him from the Los Angeles Angels in 2022.
The issue that has been a concern for the Phillies for about a year is a lack of offensive consistency from their outfielders. Marsh usually hits anywhere in the bottom third of the lineup, where slumping hitters or reserves are placed. However, his hitless streak has created doubts about how long he will remain with the organization before being sent down to the minors or traded.
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Brooke Destra, Thomson spoke about Marsh's struggles before benching him in the opener of the Giants series.
"He's thinking about it quite a bit right now and everybody goes through it at some point," Thomson said, per Destra. "I just thought maybe give him a day or two off and just let him watch for a minute. ... I think he's really thinking about (his lack of offense). He really feels like he's letting his teammates down. He's putting a lot of pressure on himself to do well. When you get to that point I think it's time just to relax for a minute."
It looked like Thomson might give Marsh consecutive games off. However, following Rojas' three-strikeout game, the 27-year-old was back in the lineup on Tuesday after a one-game break. He contributed a sacrifice fly to the Phillies' win, but wasn't in the starting lineup the following day. Thomson chose to play the right-handed batting Rojas against left-hander Robbie Ray.
It will take time for Bohm and Marsh to rebound from their lengthy struggles during the first month of the regular season. But will they show enough improvement? If not, what will the Phillies decide to do to make up for their poor hitting?