PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies’ offensive onslaught against the Angels on Friday carried into the first inning of their game on Saturday night. Kyle Schwarber led off with a double, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos walked, and J.T. Realmuto hit a double of his own to drive in two runs. Then, Bryson Stott walked, Johan Camargo singled to score Realmuto, and Mickey Moniak singled to score Stott.
By the end of the first inning, the Phillies had a 5-0 lead. Angels starter Michael Lorenzen seemed to hit a groove as the game went on, holding the Phillies to just one hit and one walk through the next five innings. But the Phillies’ piled on two more runs in the bottom of the eighth, which proved to be enough for a 7-2 victory, their third straight win.
It wasn’t just that the Phillies were scoring; it was that they were scoring with men on base, and getting those men bases by drawing their walks. The Phillies tallied seven walks on Saturday night, which is tied for their most ever in a game this season (the last time they did it was on May 13 in Los Angeles). If they can keep up that pace, that would be a big difference-maker for them.
Brad Hand is becoming a reliever the Phillies can trust
Left-handed pitcher Brad Hand came in for Wheeler on Saturday night in the top of the seventh and proceeded to throw a 1-2-3 frame. Hand hasn’t allowed an earned run since May 4. He now has a 1.13 ERA through 23 games this season.
Bohm’s hitting struggles continue
In the bottom of the first inning, third baseman Alec Bohm struck out swinging on a 95-mph fastball. It was his sixth strikeout over his past seven games. Over that span, Bohm is batting .036/.097/.036. Over his last 15 games, he’s batting .159/.206/.222.
Bohm went back to the dugout with his bat in hand and slammed it multiple times against the bat rack. It ricocheted back at his neck, causing a stream of blood to trickle down his neck.
It isn’t clear why Bohm’s struggles started, or why they are as bad as they are, but his frustration is palpable.
Realmuto is hitting his stride
Realmuto, the Phillies’ catcher, spent a decent chunk of the season searching for the right stance, messing with his leg kick, and clearly found something that works. Realmuto went 3 for 4 on Saturday and has recorded at least one hit in his past six games.
The young guys will get continue to get some looks
It was the young guys — Bryson Stott, Moniak, Bohm, and Nick Maton — who showed up big for the Phillies in Friday’s win, and, on Saturday, three of them were penciled into the lineup again — Maton is day-to-day with a sore right shoulder. A criticism of former manager Joe Girardi was he didn’t play the Phillies’ younger players regularly enough. When asked whether playing younger players will be a priority for him, Thomson said it “absolutely” would.
“They’re starting to feel comfortable,” he said. “They bring energy every day and we need energy. And they’re playing good defense, they’re covering space on defense, these guys are ready to go. And they’re a big asset to the ball club.”
Moniak was the only younger player to record a hit in Saturday’s game, but it seems like now those players don’t have to worry about losing at-bats if they don’t perform the way they’re expected to, at least not right away.
