Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott stay cold in Phillies’ loss to Giants
Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott continued to struggle in the Phillies’ 5-0 loss to the Giants on Wednesday, going a combined 0-for-8 while stranding four baserunners in the process.
Bohm and Stott were not the only Phillies hitters to have a bad day at the plate. The Phillies, who haven’t scored in 20 innings, collected only four hits and stranded nine baserunners as a team. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper were the only ones to have much success. But even they squandered a scoring chance by striking out and grounding out with runners on first and second to end the top of the seventh inning.
For Bohm and Stott, who hit fourth and fifth behind Schwarber and Harper, not producing has been a constant for them throughout the Phillies’ 12 games this season. Bohm has a .186 batting average and .550 OPS. Stott is hitting .167 with a .405 OPS.
After back-to-back singles by Schwarber and Harper in top of the first, Bohm flew out to right field and Stott struck out swinging, ending the Phillies’ threat to take an early lead. Bohm came to the plate with Schwarber and Harper on base two innings later. They advanced to second and third on a wild pitch during Bohm’s at-bat. But Bohm pounded a 3-1 outside cutter from Giants starter Tyler Mahle into the ground to third baseman Matt Chapman for the final out of the inning.
With the game scoreless in the top of the sixth, Bohm and Stott led off the frame. And instead of providing a spark, they both grounded out. The Giants went on to take a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the inning on a two-out, three-run home run by Rafael Devers against Aaron Nola, whose day was done after the sixth.
In their final at-bats of the afternoon, Bohm led off the eighth inning with another groundout. Stott popped out to Devers at first base.
The fourth and fifth spots in the Phillies’ lineup have mainly been occupied by Bohm and Stott so far. As a team, the Phillies had hit a combined .200/.274/.282 out of those spots before taking the field Wednesday. That combined .556 OPS ranked 24th in the majors.
With the Phillies’ lineup looking lifeless in the middle, a change in that part of the order makes some sense. Adolis García, batting .250 with a .738 OPS, and Brandon Marsh, who has a .727 OPS, finding themselves there Friday when the Phillies resume their schedule at home against the Diamondbacks would make sense.