Phillies: Weekend road trip to Coors Fields needs to be a productive one
By David Esser
While Wednesday afternoon’s walk-off win (thanks Knappy!) was a pretty “feel good” way to end the recent series against the San Francisco Giants, it was overall a rather disastrous home stand. The offense wasted a solid day of pitching on Monday, the bullpen blew a big lead on Tuesday, and ultimately speaking Joe Girardi got outmaneuvered by former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler at almost every turn.
If it wasn’t for some late-game Bryce Harper heroics, the Phils likely would’ve been swept at home by a team that possesses a fraction of their payroll.
However, a bottom-of-the-ninth walk-off win is an excellent way to generate some momentum and motivation headed into the weekend, and the Phillies are traveling to a ballpark that is known for getting hitters back on track.
Not only is Coors Field a dream destination for struggling batters due to its insane altitude, but the Colorado Rockies are also playing like one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball at the moment. They currently own a 6-12 record, tied with the Yankees(!) and the Twins for the fewest wins in baseball.
More from Section 215
- 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
- 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
- Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
- Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles
The Phillies need to “get right” this weekend out in Colorado.
Outside of Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto, a good chunk of the Phillies’ “core” have gotten off to slow starts this season. Rhys Hoskins has a .735 OPS, Alec Bohm is batting .219, and Andrew McCutchen is batting .164. Throw in the team’s below average bench and their lackluster CF depth (Moniak did hit a 3-run HR during Wednesday’s win!), and you’re looking at a team that has limped to a .500 start on the season.
Injuries haven’t helped either. Jean Segura just got shuttled off to the IL due to a quad strain, Didi Gregorius missed the past few games, and the bullpen has been without a handful of key arms recently. A low-stress series against a very poor Rockies team wouldn’t just help wake up some of the Phillies sputtering bats, but it’d also take some pressure off a pitching staff that simply doesn’t have any depth at the moment.
JoJo Romero has been forced to make multiple appearances over the last few games due to a shallow ‘pen, and he’s simply not a major league caliber arm at the moment.
While sweeping the Rockies out of Coors Field would be an ideal result this weekend as the Phillies gear up for more competitive games against the Cardinals and the Mets next week, simply generating more offensive firepower needs to be the top priority. This was a Phillies lineup that ranked towards the top of baseball last year, and thus far, they’ve looked nothing close to that.
Next. Phillies may have lost the series to San Fran, but they won the Sam Coonrod trade. dark
Outside of the before mentioned Harper (who’s currently playing at an MVP level, btw), the Phillies’ offense is one that could definitely use a few fun nights up in Colorado. The balls simply fly off the bat at Coors, and that’s exactly what the Phils’ offenses needs to see this weekend – baseballs going over the wall at a very high rate.