Just when it looked like the Phillies were building some momentum after sweeping the Rockies, they were no-hit by the Mets. The calendar has just turned to May, so there is still a long way to go. But as the great Yogi Berra said, “It’s getting late early out here.”
Stock Up
Alec Bohm
Bohm continues to look more like his rookie self. He’s now up to a .322/.380/.475 line with 14 RBIs. He’s third on the Phillies in RBIs and fourth in total hits. Bohm’s hitting particularly well with runners in scoring position, as he owns a .355 average and .718 OPS. His production has seen him move up to the second spot in the order where he went 2-4 on Tuesday night.
Corey Knebel
Knebel has been everything the Phillies could’ve hoped for at the back of their bullpen. He’s a perfect 4 for 4 in save opportunities and has allowed just one earned run across 9.1 innings pitched in nine games. Knebel’s ability to generate soft contact along with strikeouts has been impressive, as he has an expected batting average of just .200 and an expected slugging of .288.
Brad Hand
Hand, much like Knebel, has been very effective in limited appearances. The veteran lefty has thrown 5.1 innings across nine appearances and has allowed just one earned run. Hand has stranded six of eight inherited base runners and has seven strikeouts to just two walks. He should see more innings at the expense of Jose Alvarado.
Stock Down
Phillies Leadoff Hitters
Whether it be Kyle Schwarber, Jean Segura, or one game of Odubel Herrera, the Phillies have struggled to produce out of the leadoff spot. Phillies leadoff hitters rank dead last in average and OBP and second to last in slugging with a .150/.211/.230 line. This is after finishing second worst in average and OBP last season.
Jean Segura
This goes with the above point, but Segura is off to a very slow start to the season. The normally dependable second baseman is hitting .230 on the season and is hitting .172 over the last seven games. Over that span, Segura has the same number of strikeouts (5) as base hits. He’s hitting .196 in 11 games in the leadoff spot with a .462 OPS.
Jose Alvarado
Alvarado was inexplicably brought into two bases loaded, one out situations against the Mets in back-to-back nights. He succeeded in getting out of the first, but the second was a disaster. A passed ball allowed New York to score the go-ahead run and then a single to Dominic Smith scored two more. Alvarado has now allowed four of his seven runners inherited to score in 2022.
Joe Girardi
Of course, Alvarado should never have been brought into that situation, let alone on back-to-back nights. Girardi put Alvarado in a situation to fail. It’s eerily reminiscent of how he used David Hale in similar bases loaded situations last year. His decision to use Alvarado over Hand played a part in losing a game where the Phillies hit three home runs off of Max Scherzer.
Zach Eflin
Eflin was the one charged with the runs that came from that Alvarado outing, as he lasted only 4.1 innings and allowed eight hits and was charged with five earned runs. He’s not allowing much hard contact overall (82.8 average exit velocity) and has an expected ERA of 2.71, so he has been the victim of some bad luck. However, Eflin has lasted at least six innings in just one of his five starts and has lasted less than five in three of them. The Phillies need Eflin to last longer in games.
Josh Beckett
His no-hitter on May 25th, 2014, is no longer the last one thrown against the Phillies. Beckett is still the last one to do it alone though.
This was the Phillies lineup the last time they were no-hit on May 25, 2014 by Josh Beckett pic.twitter.com/iO7gZhSH9u
— Joe Edinger (@Joe_Edinger) April 30, 2022
