PHILADELPHIA – Phillies manager Joe Girardi answered a few questions Friday afternoon about his lineup and how an adjustment here or there could start his offense.
But at some point, the Phils will have to hit wherever they fit into a lineup. They won Friday night in a 9-2 win over the Cardinals at the opening of the series at Citizens Bank Park. They hit the ball hard, but three balls that should have been triggered resulted in a six-run concentration in the second inning in which nine consecutive Philadelphia batters reached base through a hit, a walk, or a hit. launch.
The Phillies needed it. They have just returned home from a 1-5 road trip through Atlanta and New York. They entered the game hitting .235 with a .665 OPS and averaging just 3.5 runs per game this season. They beat .257 with a .781 OPS and 5.1 runs per game. It’s been a bit of a slogan and the Phils were even a little lucky when the rain postponed Thursday’s game against the Mets in New York, where they had to face Jacob deGrom.
Alec Bohm started the second with a ball on the ground against Cardinals Paul DeJong’s short field, who lost his footing and was unable to make a throw at the first. Didi Gregorius hits a second ball to Matt Carpenter, who drops the ball into the shallow right field. Jean Segura then hit a flying ball to center player Dylan Carlson, who lost the ball to the wind or sky (or both). The ball fell a few feet in front of him, which allowed him to score the first run of the game.
Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin allowed two runs in seven more innings.