What was expected to be a great start to the season following a World Series appearance was anything but great. The Phillies were swept out of Arlington, Texas in an embarrassing fashion. There’s quite a bit to discuss with this one, so let’s dive in.
PITCHING
To say the pitching was subpar in this series would be a hefty understatement.
Nola started Opening Day and allowed four runs in the fourth inning, which put the game within one. Gregory Soto followed Nola up by allowing another three runs without recording an out. Brogdon relieved Soto and allowed the final two runs the Rangers scored that night. Vasquez, Bellatti, and Strahm followed each other and didn’t allow further damage.
Wheeler starting game two brought a lot of hope, but that quickly got crushed. You can’t blame a loss on the umpire behind the plate, but C.B. Bucknor had an appalling performance during crucial moments of Wheeler’s outing. He went 4.1 innings and allowed five runs. Seranthony Dominguez had a very non-Seranthony performance as he allowed six runs without recording a single out. The entire pitching staff allowed an unacceptable 16 runs to come in for the Rangers. The offense never had a chance this game.
Bailey Falter started the final game with low expectations for the entire pitching staff. Surprisingly, the pitching was phenomenal, and only allowed two runs during the entire game. Soto had a beautiful bounce-back inning after the disaster debut and Bellatti had yet another great outing. It stings that Brogdon allowed the second run in, however, this team is supposed to score more than one run in an entire game.
HITTING
Overall, the hitting has been great. Castellanos is walking – and hitting- more, Trea Turner’s speed is a very welcomed sight, and Stott is off to a very hot start. The guys are getting on base, they just aren’t scoring the runs they need to and are hitting into double plays frequently. The good news is the issues with the offense will get better as time goes on in the season. Schwarber got his first hit of the season in game three, so hopefully it gets him going and driving in Turner.
An unceremonious beginning, but it is a long season, a whole 162 games in fact. Onto The Bronx where the Phils face yet another battle with the Yankees.
