One week of baseball is in the books for the 2018 Phillies and there’s a lot to dig through so far for this young team that is off to a dreadful 1-4 start.
There’s plenty of baseball to be played and adjustments to be made, but manager Gabe Kapler is under a national microscope based on some of the managerial decisions he’s made in the past week.
Here is the good, the bad and the ugly from the first week:
The Good
Rhys Hoskins
Rhys Hoskins had the golden bat in 2017, hitting for 18 home runs and 48 RBI in just 50 games. He has continued his strong play of last season into 2018. Hoskins batted .471 with one home run and three RBI in his first 17 at bats. It’s a promising start for the 25-year-old who has high expectations surrounding him. He’s lived up to them so far.
Scott Kingery
Everyone who’s been following the Phillies the past couple years heard rumblings of the name Scott Kingery. The super utility man who just signed to a six-year deal in the offseason has had a solid debut for the team to start the season. In 14 at bats, Kingery is batting .286 which is tied for second on the team.
The Bad
Starting pitching
Phillies starting pitchers are still winless in 2018. Aaron Nola, Ben Lively, Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez are 0-2 so far and only Nola has shown any semblance of consistency on the mound. In two starts, Nola has an ERA of 2.61 with seven strikeouts and three earned runs. The rest of the pitchers have combined for 12 strikeouts, while giving up nine runs. Jake Arrieta’s debut can’t come soon enough.
J.P. Crawford
The Phillies rookie is off to a very rough start at the plate. In his first 15 at bats, he’s hit just .067 with one hit and one walk. His on base percentage will need to rise for him to remain an everyday starter in the lineup.
The Ugly
Gabe Kapler
Manager Gabe Kapler is already on the hot seat after just five game with the Phillies. From pulling Aaron Nola after just 68 pitches in a shutout in the team’s opener to trying to send out reliever Hoby Milner without a warm-up in their third game, his decisions have brought upon plenty of criticism during the Phillies’ 1-4 start. Not to mention, the Phillies have already had to send a position player to the mound due to running out of bullpen options in their second game. This is not what fans were expecting.
Facebook streaming
The Phillies and Mets played the first ever Major League Baseball game that was strictly broadcast on Facebook Wednesday. It had many issues which left fans upset, like lagging and freezing picture, banners and scoreboards that blocked much of the screen and many elderly fans who felt like they were being alienated by MLB. The numbers will say that at one point over 80,000 viewers were watching the feed, but the general consensus from many was that it was one of the worst viewing experiences they’ve ever had for a baseball game.
