PHILADELPHIA – Phillies manager Joe Girardi answered a few questions Friday afternoon about his lineup and how a tweak here or there could start his offense.
But at some point, Phils will have to hit wherever he falls in a line. They struck on Friday night in a 9-2 victory over the Cardinals in the opening of the series at Citizens Bank Park. They hit the ball hard, but three balls that should have been put into play triggered a six-run rally in the second half, in which nine consecutive beats from Philadelphia reached the base by hit, walk or hit the pitch.
Phillies needed her. They just returned home from a 1-5 road trip through Atlanta and New York. They entered the .235 game with a .665 OPS and on average only 3.5 runs per game this season. They beat .257 with a .781 OPS and 5.1 runs per game. It was a bit of a slogan and Phils was even a little lucky when the rain postponed Thursday’s game against the New York Mets, where he should have faced Jacob deGrom.
Alec Bohm started the second with a ground ball from the short cardinal Paul DeJong, who lost his leg and could not throw the first. Didi Gregorius hits the ball to second baseman Matt Carpenter, who hits the ball into the bottom right corner. Jean Segura then hit a defender ball to center player Dylan Carlson, who lost the ball either in the wind or in the sky (or both). The ball fell a few feet in front of him, allowing the first run of the game to be scored.
Phillies’ right-hander Zach Eflin allowed two rounds in seven or more innings.