Phillies Blow Lead in 9th, Tie NL East Rival Braves

Another day, another game in Spring Training where the Philadelphia Phillies blow a lead in the ninth inning. There’s no need to panic….yet.

We’re just five games into the spring training schedule and the team has eeked out two wins, one loss, and two ties. Wednesday’s contest was against their National League East rival Atlanta Braves, ending in a 7-7 tie.

Now while it wasn’t a win, the Phillies did make some pretty bold statements. In his first game of the spring, catcher J.T. Realmuto worked an eight-pitch at-bat against Braves pitcher AJ Smith-Shawver and hit a slider 379 feet to left-center field. Alec Bohm also made his spring debut and hit the first pitch he saw for a two-run home run that traveled 418 feet.

Philadelphia managed to score three runs on four hits with a walk (and three strikeouts) in two innings against the Braves young right-hander, AJ Smith-Shawver. He threw some nasty fastballs, hitting the 95-99 mph mark.

It’s exactly a month before Opening Day, and while the game itself means nothing in the grand scheme of things, seeing the Phillies stars roll out with strong debuts feels like being wrapped in a happy baseball blanket.

So let’s take a look at the good and the concerns from today’s game:

Positive Takeaways

Having the Phillies bats back is a blessing. Bohm put up a promising outing after a week’s delay. The 27-year-old made his spring debut after about a week out due to neck spasms. The 27-year-old third baseman slashed .274/.327/.437 with 20 home runs in 145 games in the 2023 season and looks to build on that in 2024. Against the Braves, he went 2-for-3 with one homer and two RBIs.

It was also the spring debut for Bryce Harper. In addition to it being his five-year anniversary of joining the Phils, he had a good day at first base and home plate. Bryce Harper singled to right and defensively, he denied Jarred Kelenic by fielding a hard-hit groundball and made a toss to starting pitcher Tyler Phillips for a 3-1 putout. Then in the third, he fielded a nice 3-6 double play.

On the mound, right-hander Tyler Phillips had a solid outing. He allowed two earned runs on three hits with one home run. Twenty of his 23 pitches were strikes. Reliever Seranthony Domínguez had another good spring outing. In his time on the mound so far this spring, he has not allowed a hit, a run or a walk, with one strikeout. He needed just seven pitches to get out of the fifth inning.

Concerns for the Phillies

There can’t be anything dreadfully BAD about the Phillies yet this season but they had another game where they gave up runs in the ninth inning. They did it in their last game against the Minnesota Twins, losing 8-6 after giving up three runs in the ninth inning.

There is one glaringly obvious factor here: they need a legitimate closer.

Craig Kimbrel played the role as the team’s closer last year and he is now with the Baltimore Orioles. Jose Alvarado isn’t always going to be consistent. Rookie Orion Kerkering is going to have a big season if the Phillies get their way. After spending much of 2023 in Triple-A, Connor Brogdon and Andrew Bellatti will be options this season.

This isn’t just a writer’s desire for better pitching. A closer, especially in the NL East with teams like the Braves and New York Mets, is essential. This isn’t a cakewalk division in Major League Baseball. The division could come down to one game and constantly blowing leads in the 9th inning would put them in a tough spot throughout the season.

Photo Courtesy of (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)