The Phillies are 4-1 following their loss to the Washington Nationals on Thursday, a red-hot start that has them looking like one of the best teams in baseball.
With the team off today, here are some observations from the first five games:
Bryce Harper is really good: Let's start with this — Harper has been even better than anyone could have expected. Through five games Harper has three home runs, seven walks, 19 total bases, five RBI and an OBP of .652. Harper's plate discipline has been unreal so far. Harper has been at the plate 12 times this season with at least two strikes, yet he still has a .500 OBP in those 12 appearances. He has faced a 1-2 count four times this season, a situation that is extremely advantageous to the pitcher. Harper has an OPS of 1.278 in those four at bats. He is extremely tough to get out, and through five games, there is as good of a chance of Harper knocking in a run as there is of him striking out. Through five games Harper has the best OBP, SLG and OPS in baseball. He is second in batting average. Simply put, after a slightly down year in 2018, Harper is back to being one of the best players in baseball.
Offense is here to stay: As is the case with each-and-every team in baseball, there will be stretches where the offense struggles. With how deep the Phillies' lineup is, however, those days look like they will be few-and-far between. The Phillies are averaging 7.8 runs per game so far this season, which is good for second in baseball, just .06 runs behind the first place Los Angeles Dodgers. Even in their first loss of the season the Phillies' offense still scored eight runs, four of which came in the eighth inning when the team badly needed them. Through five games this season the Phillies have scored over eight runs in four games and haven't scored less than five in any of them.
Great start: The loss to the Nationals was disappointing, especially the way it happened. Still, a 4-1 start is a 4-1 start, and the Phillies would have easily signed up for that prior to the season. What makes the start that much better is the fact all four wins have come in the division. The Phillies are now 3-0 vs. last year's NL East champions and split with the team expected to be their top competition this season. In what is expected to be a very tight race for the division, having a 4-1 record to start the year in the NL East is a big deal.
Smart lineup: The Phillies have plenty of power in their lineup, with 10 home runs in five games, but it is how smart their hitters are at the plate that makes their offense so impressive. The Phillies are averaging 6.2 walks per game this season, good for second in the majors. This team simply does not swing at bad pitches. On the season, Bryce Harper has seen 91 pitches. Of the 51 pitches he has taken, 11 have been called strikes and 40 have been balls. The same kind of plate discipline has been shown by J.T. Realmuto, Andrew McCutchen and Odubel Herrera. Even Rhys Hoskins, who has been slightly more free-swinging than others in the lineup, is third on the team with five walks.
McCutchen is key: Getting a leadoff guy on base is always key for any offense to start an inning, but it has been especially important for the Phillies and McCutchen. This season the Phillies are averaging 1.6 runs per inning when McCutchen gets on base to start an inning. When he leads off but doesn't reach base that number dips to 0.30 runs per inning. The good news is that McCutchen has an OPS of 0.600 through five games.
Aaron Nola is off: It is early, but the team's ace has not gotten off to the start he wanted. Nola didn't look like himself in his opening day start, walking five batters. Then, in Wednesday's loss to the Nationals, Nola had one of his worst outings in years, giving up three home runs and allowing six runs before being pulled after just three innings. Nola has a WHIP of 1.556 through his first two starts, which is on pace to be the worst of his career. The Phillies' offense is so good that Nola has time to work through his early-season struggles. Still, seeing Nola come out in his next start and pitch like he did in 2018 would certainly be reassuring for the Phillies' front office and their fans.
David Robertson: The biggest addition the Phillies made to their bullpen this past offseason was signing veteran David Robertson. So far that signing, unlike almost every other move the Phillies made, has not paid off. Robertson was terrible in the Phillies' first loss of the season, allowing a double to start the ninth inning, then walking three straight batters to give the Nationals a 9-8 victory. Robertson has an ERA of 18.0 and a WHIP of 5.0 in two innings pitched. He has just one strikeout to five walks. If Robertson doesn't turn things around soon, the Phillies are going to need to start looking around for help in the bullpen.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
