Phillies

Ten Observations As The 2020 Phillies Look A Lot Like The 2019 Phillies In Opener

By Bob Wankel

Published: Jul 25th, 2020 · 12:09 AM EDT

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At least they played.

Really, in light of what has transpired around the world over the past few months, I think we need to pause and appreciate the fact that baseball was played at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night.

That’s my positive spin.

As for the game itself, well, the 2020 Phillies looked an awful lot like the 2019 Phillies. You will remember that team, I’m sure, as an infuriating group that couldn’t master a below-average Marlins team. You may also remember last year’s team for a lineup that too frequently failed in big spots and for its suspect bullpen.

If you don’t remember, you were surely reminded of it tonight during a lackluster effort in a 5-2 loss.

First, the highlight of the night:

Bryce Harper just gets it. pic.twitter.com/geTsBwzAZY

— Bob Wankel (@Bob_Wankel) July 24, 2020

You can roll your eyes, talk shit, and say Bryce Harper disingenuously panders to the fans. That’s fine. But I’ll tell you that the guy played at 100 mph for three weeks in a July summer camp when hardly anybody was watching. I’ll also tell you this is a guy recognizing that there’s a large group of people who would have loved for nothing more to be in those right field bleachers tonight. I thought it was a cool move by Harper, and if you didn’t, well, you’re a miserable person.

Now, let’s talk about his cleats.

https://twitter.com/Starting9/status/1286804665053728770?s=20

I’m in. I will grant you, however, this look would’ve been infinitely more bad ass if he had went deep tonight.

As for the game itself, I’m struggling to find the narrative arc here, so let’s skip the AP style story with the quotes. Instead, here are 10 things that stood out to me–things that also probably stood out to you:

• Let’s talk about the top four hitters in the Phillies lineup tonight. You’re not going to win many games when that group combines to go 1 for 14 with two walks. The one hit, by the way, was an excuse-me check swing single off the bat of Rhys Hoskins that just barely beat a drawn in infield. Don’t get me wrong, Sandy Alcantara is legit and had nasty stuff tonight. But 1 for 14? Come on now.

 

• For me, the most frustrating sequence of the evening came in the bottom of the eighth with two men on and J.T. Realmuto at the plate. Realmuto worked a 3-0 count and let a 94 mph 3-0 fastball go by for a strike. Realmuto, mind you, was the cleanup hitter, which, presumably, meant he was there to drive in runs. If you’re going to let it rip, let it rip there. It was the most hittable pitch of the at-bat. Instead, Realmuto expanded the zone and offered at a borderline (at best) 3-1 pitch. He then followed by expanding the zone even further and weakly grounded back to the pitcher. It’s just one game, one at-bat, and all of those other qualifiers, but that was a poor approach in a big spot.

 

• Aaron Nola’s offspeed stuff was good through five innings, but he spun some fat pitches in the sixth. He also struggled to consistently locate his fastball tonight, much the way he did to finish 2019. It was an O.K. first outing for the Phillies’ ace, but I don’t blame you if you wanted to see just a bit more from him tonight.

 

• I don’t know how to explain this, but dating back to last season, the Phillies have lost Nola’s last eight starts. Run support is an issue. In fact, since the start of the 2018 season, the Phillies have scored two runs or less in 21 of Aaron Nola’s 68 starts (30.9%). That’s part of it, but, to me, there’s just something else off.

 

• Home plate umpire Tim Timmons was awful tonight. Just awful. He missed some critical pitches that had a direct impact on the outcome of the game.

 

• The Phillies TV guys work hard and are a good group, but they have to get a better grip on the fake crowd noise. If that’s something the broadcast is going to/have to implement for the remainder of the season, it has to be better moving forward. The Scott Kingery almost-homer goes foul, everyone knows it’s foul, and the crowd roars. This is new territory, and it’s going to take some time to adjust, and I suspect the telecast will adjust. (UPDATE: I was informed this morning that the broadcast has no control over the implementation of crowd noise. Individual teams elect whether or not to use it, while stadium operations is in control of how it is utilized. Essentially, broadcast teams have to roll with what they’re given. That’s unfortunate because, obviously, people (myself included) will erroneously associate the noise with the broadcast. Less than ideal.)

 

• What the hell was up with John Kruk asking Tom McCarthy about the new COVID-related rules tonight? At one point, Kruk asked McCarthy if Rhys Hoskins was required to wear a mask on the field. Presumably, a baseball analyst, who is supposed to be explaining the rules to the fans, should know that. I like Kruk, but it was like he rolled out of bed for the first time since March and just showed up tonight.

 

• I don’t know how you can adequately evaluate a front office in the midst of a pandemic. There are so many variables that can derail a season that it will be difficult to fault a front office should a team fall short. However, the Phillies bullpen was a glaring problem heading into the winter, was never adequately addressed, and remains a problem. It took all of six innings for that reality to become apparent tonight. And I like Ramón Rosso–there’s upside there. The kid was obviously tight. Then again, in a 60-game season, there’s not a lot of time for rationalizing hiccups–if the goal is the postseason. I suspect this team’s lack of proven commodities out of the bullpen will be a consistent issue this season.

 

• I’m just glad we were able to regain a sense of normalcy tonight. The talent-depleted (but opportunistic) Marlins beat a flat Phillies team. Fans were (understandably) impatient four innings into game one. It’s good to be back.

 

• I kind of want to laugh at the idea that the second game of the season is a must-win. But is tomorrow a must-win? Mull that over before the 4:05 pm start.