Phillies’ new offensive approach still a work in progress: ‘We’ve got to get rolling’
NEW YORK — The Phillies on Monday showed some life in the ninth.
They came into the inning with no runs, no extra base hits and only three hits against the New York Mets, the team with the best ERA in MLB (2.43).
With a five-run lead, the Mets tried to save their bullpen by leaving long reliever Max Kranick in for a three-inning save. But the Phillies were finally able to string together some hits. A Max Kepler leadoff double and J.T. Realmuto RBI single erased the shutout. An Alec Bohm single forced the Mets to grab their closer Edwin Diaz.
The Phillies had the matchup they wanted. Bryson Stott homered against Diaz in the ninth inning of a game at Citi Field last May that led to a comeback win in extras. Stott also tripled against Diaz in the bottom of the eighth in Game 2 of the 2024 NLDS.
Diaz could not stay out of the middle of the plate. It took three pitches, but Stott crushed one of Diaz’s fastballs for a three-run home run that cut the deficit to one. The Phillies could not complete the comeback, as Trea Turner and Bryce Harper both chased sliders outside of the zone and went down on strikes.
Four runs in the ninth wasn’t enough for the Phillies, who have dropped two straight games to fall to 13-10. A late come-from-behind win would have been satisfying.
It was the first visit to Citi Field since the Phillies’ dreams of an October run were crushed by a surging Mets team. All the Phillies needed was one win to force a Game 5 at home with Zack Wheeler on the mound. They scored three runs and struck out 19 times over two games in New York. Mets pitching exploited the Phillies’ tendency to chase.
It’s easy to say that the Phillies’ offensive issues from last season have bled into the current year. Some have. They are still chasing in key spots, as evidenced by the Turner and Harper at-bats in the ninth and Realmuto’s swinging strikeout with first and third with two men out to end the sixth inning.
But there has been progress in some areas. They came into the season with a mandate to control the strike zone. It’s early, but the club has the third-best chase percentage in the majors at 25.9%. It’s three points below league average, and much better than last year’s 30.3% chase rate. They are also the first team to 100 walks.
“To me, it feels like we’re doing a lot of things better,” Turner said. “I think we’re walking at a very high rate for our lineup. It just feels like we’re not hitting enough homers and getting those big key hits. I felt like we had guys out there all game.”
Turner might be the best microcosm for what the Phillies offense has looked like through 23 games. His walk rate has more than doubled from 5% at the end of 2024 to 11.8%. Turner walked twice in his first two at-bats on Monday. There were some close takes. It led to the Phillies loading the bases in the third with two outs. Kyle Schwarber later struck out to end the threat.
“We’ve done some positive things, but we’ve got to get rolling,” Turner said.
But Turner’s strikeout rate is a tick up from 18.2% to 19.4%. The power isn’t there. He has only five extra-base hits in 93 plate appearances.
It’s strange all around. Bohm is on an eight-game hitting streak, but his batting average is still below .200. Schwarber has reached base safely in every game. Nick Castellanos is walking more and striking out less. Only four Phillies have multiple home runs.
“I think we’ve all played a lot of baseball,” Turner said. “We’ve all played very well for a long time, so when it’s not going well, you know it’s in there. It’s hard not to try harder. But it’s easier said than done. You hit three line-drive outs, and then you want to add more and the next thing you know, you chase strike three.”