Phillies Opening Day: The Ideal Scenarios For The First Game
As Opening Day gets closer and closer to first pitch for the Phillies, here is the ideal scenario for game one.
Opening Day has a special aura around it. Every baseball fan will tell you that the day brings nostalgia and excitement. And when the Phillies toss on the red cap for the first time every season, fans have a breath of hope. Even if the Phillies are slated to have another down year, Opening Day is still an exciting event.
But for the Phillies to get off to the same hot start as last season, a lot has to go right. What if everything went right for them in game one? Let’s break down the matchup first.
The Cincinnati Reds will be starting Scott Feldman off against Jeremy Hellickson. Not quite the Opening Day matchup many will salivate over, but still one with some potential. Hellickson must avoid the big bat of Joey Votto, who seemingly finds a way to hurt the Phillies on a yearly basis.
Hellickson going six strong innings will allow the Phillies to test out their bullpen in a close game situation. The bullpen is the weakest part about this roster, and a good start for them will hopefully signal a successful season.
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Hellickson having a good first outing will mean nothing if the lineup can’t produce runs. Which is why in the perfect scenario, the Phillies will jump to a 2-0 lead in the first. The lineup is a top heavy one, and Philadelphia must ride their bats. Cesar Hernandez and Odubel Herrera can ignite Maikel Franco’s start to the season by getting on base. Franco having a decently producing game would allow him to get to a hot start, and hopefully keep him from a major slump like last season.
The new additions also jumping into the fun will be key. The additions of Howie Kendrick and Michael Saunders have major boom or bust potential, but getting off to a good start will solidify bringing in experienced at-bats. In an ideal world, both of these players would knock in a RBI each.
If everything goes perfectly, the Phillies would take home a 4-0 win and the bullpen would clamp down on the Reds’ lineup. But more realistically, the team will likely take a 3-2 loss, with a blown save in the books.
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Either way, the excitement of Opening Day cannot be dampened. The Phillies will kick off another season and hopefully make the next step forward in the rebuild process.