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Phillies Bats Go Cold as Rockies Take First Game of Series
Heading into the 2022 MLB season, this Philadelphia Phillies lineup was supposed to be one of the largest producing units in baseball. Home runs, dingers, moonshots, whatever your choice word may be, were supposed to be launched in ballparks all over the nation.
Unfortunately, that has yet to come to fruition this season for the Phillies. In fact, aside from a few outings, this Philly lineup has been largely toothless. It has lacked chemistry. There is no direction. That was on full display on Monday night when they dropped the first game of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies.
Through the first five innings it was largely a pitchers duel between Rockies starter Chad Kuhl and Phillies starter Aaron Nola. Neither team could get a run across the plate and it seemed like both could go deep into the game.
Nola looked very good despite the lack of offense (and defense) to support him. His fastball was well located and his off-speed pitches baffled Colorado. He looked as if he was going to cruise through the sixth.
Instead, with one out in the bottom of the sixth, Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon hit a homerun off of Nola to get the scoring started. It also marked the end of Nola's night in which he pitched 5.1 innings and would eventually be tagged with two earned runs with four strikeouts.
Defensive blunders from third baseman Alec Bohm and first baseman Rhys Hoskins did little to help Nola along the way. Yet, he kept the team in the game and his start was a positive considering his start to the season.
The Rockies extended their lead in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run double from Randal Grichuk. A 4-0 lead in the seventh seemed cavernous, impossible to overcome. In the end, it was.
Despite what looked to be a rally in the eighth off of a Bohm single, then Jean Segura single, and eventually a Didi Gregorius double to make it 4-1, it wouldn't be enough.
J.T. Realmuto came to the plate with runners on second and third and hit a floater back to the mound that would end up becoming a double play to end the inning. It was the turning point in the game. In fact, it effectively ended the game.
Inexplicably, the Phillies best bullpen arm in Corey Knebel came into the game in the eighth with Philadelphia down 4-1. He did pitch a shutout inning, but the risk of injury, coupled with the deficit, once again calls into question manager Joe Girardi's reasoning and strategy with this Phillies bullpen.
In the ninth inning there was one last bit of hope as the meat of the Philadelphia lineup took to the plate. Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, and Rhys Hoskins, all capable of changing the tide of the game with one swing, were unable to do so.
The Phillies fell to the Rockies 4-1 and to 4-7 on the season. They will look to rectify this loss on Tuesday as they once again face off against Colorado in the second game of this three-game series.
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