4 overreactions from the Phillies’ disappointing opening weekend against the Braves
What transpired over the weekend that has us overreacting this early in the season?
After dropping the first two games of the series in a somewhat embarrassing fashion to the Atlanta Braves to start the 2024 MLB season, the Philadelphia Phillies gained some redemption in the finale, prevailing 5-4 in a come-from-behind victory over their division arch-rivals. Not only did it help salvage some pride and confidence for the ballclub heading into the new week, but it showed their resilience despite being dominated for much of the entire weekend.
After witnessing what occurred in this opening series, there were quite a few overreactions to the Phillies' overall performance. Here, we will look at four overreactions that should have Phillies fans both worried and excited.
The Phillies have 'zero' chance of winning the NL East
When the Phillies surprisingly knocked off the Braves in just four games in the NLDS last season, many believed that the team could actually match toe-to-toe with their divisional rival when given the chance. Despite the Braves being predicted to likely repeat as NL East divisional winners this season, the Phillies were brought up in the conversation, potentially giving the Braves a run for the title given their strong pitching staff and potent offensive bats.
However, all of that strong pitching and prolific hitting was alarmingly absent during much of the three-game series. The Braves outhit the Phillies 39-22 and outscored them 25-12 in commanding fashion. If the Phillies hadn’t managed to salvage a victory on Sunday with their late-inning comeback, things would feel even worse on Monday morning.
In retrospect, the Braves have also taken the season series against the Phillies in each of the past three years. So maybe Braves manager Brian Snitker’s comments were right about the disappearance of his team's offense during the 2023 playoffs being due to the long layoff, leading to their ultimate defeat at the hands of the Phillies. There was certainly no five-day break this time prior to the series, and boy, did Atlanta tee off big time.
The Phillies bullpen isn’t as good as they think it is
According to MLB.com, the Phillies entered the 2024 season with perhaps the best bullpen in all of baseball, with a 4.8 fWAR. In 2023, their relievers actually registered a 6.8 fWAR, ranking them third in the entire league. They are predicted to build upon the success from last year and be even better with the current core. With what was perhaps the weakest link in their bullpen late last season in Craig Kimbrel gone, it supposedly left one less question mark in their bullpen this year.
However, if what we saw during this series against the Braves is any indication of what their bullpen will be like in 2024, then we are definitely in for a long season. In just 11 2/3 innings, the Phillies relief corps gave up a whopping 15 earned runs on 19 hits, including spoiling a superb start by team ace Zack Wheeler in the very first game of the season.
We all know the Braves offense is one of the best, if not the best, in the league. But the way they turned the so-called No. 1 ranked bullpen in the league into batting practice was quite worrisome. Maybe the Phillies do miss the veteran presence of Kimbrel more than they expected. After all, he was one of the key players who kept the bullpen in check when they struggled in the early parts of 2023.
Some may say, “Well, they’re missing Orion Kerkering, so it will be a lot better when he gets back.” It would seem harsh to put the pressure on the rookie to help rescue the Phillies, not to mention that he doesn’t even have a proven track record just yet. But in reality, one player can actually only do so much.
For the Phillies’ bullpen to have any sustainable long-term success, it must be done as a collective effort, like they did on Sunday. In that case, everyone will need to get a lot better very soon before it's too late.
The Phillies made a big mistake signing Aaron Nola to a massive contract
One of the Phillies’ key moves this past offseason was re-signing Aaron Nola to a huge seven-year, $172 million contract to remain in Philadelphia until the next decade. By doing so, they were looking to have Nola and Zack Wheeler be the one-two punch in their starting rotation in their pursuit of a World Series championship or two and a potential Phillies dynasty.
However, in his first start of the season, Nola threw a clunker in which he gave up an astounding seven earned runs on 12 hits in just 4 1/3 innings pitched. Even more worrisome was the fact that he yielded two home runs in the process. The long ball plagued Nola pretty much all of last season when he gave up a career-high 32 in just 193 2/3 total innings. On top of that, the seven runs that he gave up tied for the most that he surrendered in all of 2023, so he definitely got off to a miserable start.
Getting frequently scored upon has become more of the norm for Nola in recent years, as just last season, he gave up four or more runs in 15 of his 32 total starts, leading to an uncharacteristic 4.46 ERA. When the Phillies invested big time by bringing him back for the long haul, they were hoping that he would revert to his usual form seen in his dominant years prior to 2021.
An underwhelming start like this certainly casts many doubts. If his regression progressively continues, the Phillies may be stuck with an albatross of a contract for quite a while.
Give Bryce Harper the Gold Glove Award already
When it comes to superstar Bryce Harper, we all know what he can do with his bat. After all, the former NL Rookie of the Year, two-time NL MVP, seven-time All-Star, and three-time Silver Slugger knows a thing or two about hitting a baseball. But how about his play in the field, especially now that he has moved to his new position permanently at first base for 2024?
Last season, in 36 starts at first base, Harper actually fared quite well already, committing only one error in 279 total chances for a .996 fielding percentage and a respectable 1 DRS. Will those numbers eventually evolve into Gold Glove-caliber defense?
Well, one thing is for sure: Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski truly believes Harper can become a star in the infield as well. Back in November 2023, at the GM meetings, Dombrowski mentioned to reporters, “We think he’ll [Harper] will develop into a Gold Glove first baseman ... he’s committed to doing that.”
It has been only three games into the new season, but Harper sure wanted to get a head start in making true to that statement. In just the first inning of his first game of 2024, he did this:
SO BACK. pic.twitter.com/gP8xLmcM7U
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) March 29, 2024
Pretty good reflexes for someone who has played mainly in the outfield for the bulk of his career. If he manages to keep this up all season, and not risk any serious injury by tumbling into camera wells trying to make the impossible play, we say he does it.
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