Philadelphia Phillies Philes Vol 1.2: In the swing of things

In the second installment of Philadelphia Phillies Philes, we’ll explore Bryce Harper’s love affair with Philly, while welcoming back Allen Iverson.

Leading off

Through the first 10 days of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies currently sit in second place at 0.5 games behind the New York Mets.

While the Phillies offense has been on a historic tear to start the year, the starting pitching has been average. Once the strength of the team in 2018, it’ll be interesting to see how new pitching coach Chris Young works with his staff as the season progresses.

Aaron Nola (1-0) had his worst start since 2017 when he gave up six earned runs on Wednesday at Washington. In doing so, he allowed a career-high three home runs. Combine that with the career-high five walks allowed in the opener, and his struggles are apparent.

Through two starts, Jake Arrieta (1-1) has looked good, while Nick Pivetta (1-0) has struggled, giving up 17 hits and seven earned runs in only 9.2 innings pitched.

Zach Eflin (1-0) looked sharp in his debut on Tuesday, managing five innings pitched en route to the win. The soon-to-be 25-year old (April 8) takes the hill this afternoon against the Twins in the rubber match.

Repeat that

The Phillies have played seven games to this point, and yesterday’s contest marked the first time the team ran out a different lineup for the starting eight. That means six games Gabe Kapler used the same lineup of position players and batting order. Six games.

How many games last year did Kapler produce the identical starting eight?

A grand total of five. In total for 2018, Kapler used 138 different combinations of batting orders. (Courtesy Kevin Skiver, CBS Sports)

Baseball is a long season, and chances are good that Kapler will toy with the lineup in the coming weeks. But, as evidenced by the start, once he finds an order he likes, he’ll stick with it.

The improved talent from which to choose certainly helps.

Genuine or nah?

By now you’ve experienced Bryce Harper‘s Philadelphia fanfare. I’m not talking about how popular he is as a player and how pretty much anywhere you look, you see his jersey; I’m talking about how much Bryce Harper seems to love Philadelphia:

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air walk-up music for Spring Training, appearing in front of the Ben Franklin Bridge to announce his wife’s pregnancy, posing for a photo-op in Philadelphia’s own Mitchell & Ness store while wearing a 76ers shirt, praising Philadelphia fans for their support in Washington, DC, and even posting on Instagram of his longing to see the historic Liberty Bell.

But is it believable, or the working of a finely-tuned PR staff behind him?

Before Harper signed, there was speculation he didn’t want to come to Philadelphia. Rumors swirled of his preference to play near his hometown in Las Vegas, among others. Yet, ever since Harper signed, he’s been sure to incorporate Philly love in pretty much every public encounter.

If it is scripted, why would he be doing so?

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For starters, he just signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with no opt-outs that keeps him in the city through at least 2031 and wants to make a good first impression. Imagine competing on a daily basis with ravenous fans pulling for you to succeed. That would certainly help a person relax more than having a hometown crowd against them.

Harper is also a brand. His marketability will only grow with the more love he receives, which will also create more opportunities for him and his family.

Perhaps the perception before signing that he may have wanted to play elsewhere caused enough concern within his circle, that collectively they felt it was in Harper’s best interest to promote his love for Philly in abundance.

Or maybe he just really loves Philly history and is super stoked to visit the Liberty Bell (and not the one he rang prior to Thursday’s Sixers game).

Either way, does it necessarily matter? The guy plays hard while leaving everything out on the field. If anything, it speaks to his dedication and commitment to a craft, whether winning baseball games or winning over a city. At this point, both are working.

Allen Iverson gets it

Philadelphia 76ers’ legend Allen Iverson was on-hand Saturday afternoon to throw out the first pitch before the Twins-Phillies game. During the game, he was interviewed by NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Gregg Murphy, in which he expressed his love for the city.

The feeling is mutual, A.I.

Andrew Mc*Clutch*en

On the year, Andrew McCutchen is batting .269. Only 10 days in, that number is mostly irrelevant. That being said, it sure seems like whenever the team needs a timely hit, Cutch delivers. Think back to the home opener when he sent the first strike he saw sailing into the outfield seats.

On ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, he once again drove a pitch to the opposite field over the fence. Then on Wednesday, Cutch once again came through with a bases-clearing double against the Nationals, helping lead the team from a 6-2 deficit to a 7-6 lead.

The Phillies would go on to score another before blowing the lead in the bottom half of the inning, and then ultimately losing on a walk-off walk an inning later.

Most Valuable Phillie Power Rankings – Top 20 (through 3/31/2019):

1. Bryce Harper (OF) – Previous Rank: 8 (↑ 7)
2. Jean Segura (SS) – Previous Rank: 5 (↑ 3)
3. Rhys Hoskins (1B) – Previous Rank: 2 (↓ 1)
4. Maikel Franco (3B) – Previous Rank: 1 (↓ 3)
5. Jake Arrieta (SP) – Previous Rank: N/A (↑)
6. Pat Neshek (RP) – Previous Rank: 6 (↔)
7. Andrew McCutchen (OF) – Previous Rank: 10 (↑ 3)
8. Odubel Herrera (OF) – Previous Rank: 11 (↑ 3)
9. Adam Morgan (RP) – Previous Rank: 15 (↑ 6)
10. Zach Eflin (SP) – Previous Rank: N/A (↑)
11. Juan Nicasio (RP) – Previous Rank: 12 (↑ 1)
12. Hector Neris (RP) – Previous Rank: N/A (↑)
13. Nick Pivetta (SP) – Previous Rank: 14 (↑ 1)
14. Aaron Nola (SP) – Previous Rank: 4 (↓ 10)
15. J.T. Realmuto (C) – Previous Rank: 7 (↓ 8)

“Ring the Bell” Award Winner of the Week.

Likely the first of many, this week’s honor goes to Bryce Harper, but not for what he did at the plate. Yes, he had a fantastic return to Washington and an epic home run Sunday night and is one of the top hitters in baseball through 10 days, but he receives the award for his cunning presence on the bases.

On Friday while rounding third following Hoskins’ single, Harper noticed a slight hesitation from Twins’ left fielder Eddie Rosario, and broke for home scoring safely without a throw.

During Saturday’s loss to the Twins, Harper stretched what would’ve been a single into a double. He would later get to third and eventually try scoring the tying run on a flyout from Cesar Hernandez, which proved unsuccessful.

Despite being thrown out at the plate, his aggressive nature is exactly what Gabe Kapler wants to instill in his players, and from a fan perspective, it certainly is a joy to watch. It sort of reminds you of a…Chase Utley…dare I say.

Phillie Pholly of the Week.

The dubious distinction this week falls on the shoulders of Phillies’ relief pitcher, David Robertson. Amid early season struggles, Robertson entered Wednesday’s afternoon affair with the Nationals with the score tied 8-8 in the bottom of the ninth.

After a leadoff single, Robertson would go on to walk three more, leading to the Phillies first loss of the early season, 9-8.

Walks and poor pitching performances will happen, but the game followed in line with struggles in previous outings. One of the strengths this year for the Phillies is their bullpen, so hopefully, the righty can figure it out. He did pitch a scoreless inning in Friday’s matchup, as Phillies faithful cheered him on through the mist and cold temperatures.

Phillies Phlashback

The date was April 7, 1992, and the Phillies were hosting the Chicago Cubs in the season opener at a crowded Veterans Stadium. With Greg Maddux on the mound for the Cubs, up stepped Phillies’ center fielder Lenny Dykstra to lead things off for the home team in the bottom half of the first.

On the second pitch of the season, a cut fastball broke in on Dykstra, nailing him in the left forearm. After clutching his wrist in pain, Dykstra would eventually shake it off and strut to first base.

After the game, it was discovered that “The Dude” had broken a bone in his wrist and would be sidelined for a little over a month. Dykstra went 1-3 in the game, including making a tremendous catch in the outfield.

The game also happened to mark the debut of new uniforms for the Phillies. Gone was the burgundy color scheme, replaced with bright red and the script “Phillies” written across the chest, featuring blue stars dotting the “I’s.”

You may have seen them.

On Deck

The Phillies begin a three-game set with the Nationals on Monday, before hopping on a plane to South Florida for a weekend series against the fish. Miami currently sits at the bottom of the division with two wins as of this writing.