Phillies’ Freddie Galvis was as cold as the team’s bats.
By Sam Bush
The Phillies have played only three games, and already the theme for the 2015 season has been established:
Who the hell is going to step up and hit for this team?
The Phillies scored just six runs in three games against the Red Sox. Three of those runs came on Jeff Francoeur‘s three-run home run Wednesday night. The Phillies scored twice in the third inning in Thursday’s 6-2 loss at Citizens Bank Park.
The Phillies hit .149 with just two extra-base hits in the series. They posted a .206 on-base percentage and a .191 slugging percentage.
“I think it’s a little bit too early to tell,” Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said about the team’s offensive capabilities. “Our guys are trying to settle in and get some at-bats under their belt, but what we need to do is hit together and create some innings with some baserunners so we can do some things and then come up with some key hits.”
Ben Revere, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard hit first, third and fourth, respectively, in the series. They hit a combined .086 (3-for-35) with one double, two RBIs and seven strikeouts.
It will not get any easier for the Phillies, who open a three-game series tonight against the Nationals. The Phillies will face left-hander Gio Gonzalez on tonight, right-hander Doug Fister on Saturday and right-hander Max Scherzer on Sunday.
“I don’t think guys went away from their approach,” Phillies third baseman Cody Asche said about Thursday’s struggles against Justin Masterson. “It’s just a different game when you’re down six runs.”
Check out the box score:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/mlb/event/2015/43360/boxscore/
