PHILADELPHIA – Joe Girardi, manager of Phillies, answered a few questions on Friday afternoon about his composition and how an adjustment here or there could start his offense.
But at some point, the Phils will have to succeed wherever they fit into a series. They won a 9-2 victory over the Cardinals in the series opener at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night. They hit the ball hard, but three balls that had to be put out sparked a six-run rally in the second innings, in which nine consecutive Philadelphia batsmen reached the base via hit, run or a hit.
The Phillies needed it. They have just returned home from a 1-5 trip through Atlanta and New York. They entered the .235 bat with a .665 OPS and averaged just 3.5 runs per game this season. They batted .257 with a .781 OPS and 5.1 runs per game. It was a bit of a blow, and the Phils even had a bit of luck when rain postponed Thursday’s game against the Mets in New York, where they would face Jacob deGrom.
Alec Bohm starts the second with a ground ball after Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong, who loses his foot and cannot make a throw to first. Didi Gregorius hit a ball to second baseman Matt Carpenter, who hit the ball in a shallow right field. Jean Segura then hit a flying ball to midfielder Dylan Carlson, who lost the ball in the wind or in the air (or both). The ball fell a few feet in front of him, which allowed him to score the first run of the match.
Phillies right-hander Zach Eflin allowed two runs in seven plus overs.