Philadelphia Phillies see Jose Bautista take advantage of first start with new team

In his second game with the Philadelphia Phillies, Jose Bautista came up big for the team during Wednesday’s win over the Washington Nationals.

In what would have been insane to even think about a few months ago, the Philadelphia Phillies made a key move this week to keep them in great shape for the playoff race by acquiring Jose Bautista from the New York Mets.

Despite his far from impressive numbers for the most part during this season, the intention of the Phillies acquiring Bautista when they did was to hopefully provide some extra power on offense when needed, mainly off the bench.

After failing to get a hit in his only at bat during his debut with the team on Tuesday, Bautista saw his first start with Philadelphia the following day, and the veteran came through in a big way when they needed the most.

With the game tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the seventh, it was Bautista who ripped a single to center to bring home the go-ahead run before the Phillies would eventually go on to win 8-6.

For a player batting below .200 on the season overall, this was the perfect way for Bautista to come through in his first start, and hopefully a sign of things to come.

Some baseball fans will look at Bautista’s failed stints with the Mets and Atlanta Braves this season as a sign that he’s washed up while no longer being able to make a significant impact. But also, keep in mind that Philadelphia completed the trade with the mindset that Bautista wouldn’t be an everyday starter.

In other words, the main reason why the Phillies were interested in bringing Bautista on board was to hopefully provide a necessary spark on offense when needed, like he did on Wednesday against the Nationals.

Inconsistency on offense has been an issue at times for Philadelphia throughout the 2018 season, and when seeing how good of a shot this team has at earning a playoff spot in the National League, they’re going to need all of the help possible during the final stretch.

Bautista may not be hitting as many home runs as a few years ago, but if his bat comes through when needed off the bench in close games, this trade will be well worth it for the Phillies.