Categories: 2022 Postgame Recaps

Big nights from Realmuto, Camargo lead Phillies to win over Angels

J.T. Realmuto had a big night Saturday. (Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Phillies 7, Angels 2

The Philadelphia Phillies scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning, and that was more than enough Saturday to edge out Mike Trout, Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Angels.

While the five-run first made you think that the Phillies may put a double-digit number in the run category for the second evening in a row, they didn’t score again until the bottom of the eighth inning, when Johan Camargo plated J.T. Realmuto and Bryson Stott with an RBI single.

Disappearing offensively for large chunks of the game isn’t a strategy for consistent success, but it worked Saturday in large part because Zack Wheeler, Brad Hand, Seranthony Domínguez and Connor Brogdon limited the Angels to to just two runs, while striking out 12 batters.

With the win, the Phillies improve to 24-29. Notably, they are 2-0 with a +15 run differential in the first couple games of the Rob Thomson Era.

Meanwhile, the Angels have now lost 10 games in a row, un doing what was a tremendous start to their season. The Angels are now 27-27, and it feels increasingly unlikely that they’ll give the Houston Astros a series run for the American League West title.

The Phillies will send Kyle Gibson to the mound Sunday, as they look to sweep the Angels and win their fourth game in a row.

Five Will Always Love You

The Phillies wasted no time kicking the Angels while they were down Saturday evening, as they put up a five-spot in the bottom of the first inning against Angels’ starter Michael Lorenzen.

With the bases loaded and one out, J.T. Realmuto doubled into the left-field corner, plating Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, while allowing Castellanos to advance to third base:

Following a strikeout from Alec Bohm (more on that in a little) and a walk by Bryson Stott, Johan Camargo singled into right field, which scored both Castellanos and Realmuto:

The cherry on top came when Moniak grounded a ball off of Lorenzen, allowing a fifth run to score, as Lorenzen threw the ball away:

While Rhys Hoskins would strike out to leave the bases loaded — one of two outs he accounted for in the inning — it’s hard to be disappointed when you leave the first inning up by five.

Bohm’s Frustration Mounting As Numbers Plummet

The Phillies scored five runs in the first inning, but not everyone enjoyed the home half of the frame.

As mentioned above, Hoskins recorded two outs in the bottom of the first inning. But Bohm’s swinging strikeout with two runners in scoring position caused his frustration to boil over when he returned to the dugout:

Fortunately for the Phillies, it was a long inning, which allowed Bohm to clean up after he accidentally cut himself while slamming his bat:

While his early-season defensive woes created headlines, Bohm got off to an excellent start at the plate, as he had an .855 OPS entering play on May 4. However, after going 0-4 Saturday, his OPS is down to .636.

Even with a return for Didi Gregorius likely not far off, Bohm will probably get a long leash at third base as the Phillies use whatever surplus of infield depth that they have to try to hold things over until Jean Segura returns in September.

But there’s no doubt that the Phillies need more from Bohm if they are going to climb back into the pennant race, and the 25-year-old seems to be very aware of that — perhaps too much for his own good.

How do you balance wanting players to take pride in their performance with not wanting them to get too low when they’re struggling?

“You just try to keep pumping them up, you know? That’s the situation there,” Thomson said after the game. “You don’t want to see a guy get hurt. But guys do get frustrated, and they bang the bat rack every once in a while.”

Shibe Vintage Sports Pitching Performance

Michael Lorenzen surrendered five runs to the Phillies in the first inning, but did settle in and keep the game from getting out of hand. The 30-year-old struck out nine batters over 5 2/3 innings, with his ERA on the season rising to 3.69.
Zack Wheeler struck out nine batters over six frames Saturday, limiting the Angels to six hits and two runs. Wheeler now has a 1.9 fWAR, which is tied with Joe Musgrove for the top mark among National League starting pitchers. He’s definitely tracking towards being an All-Star for the second year in a row.

Phillies Nugget Of The Game

In a very welcome development, J.T. Realmuto had three doubles Saturday, setting a new career-high. Realmuto has five hits in his first 11 at-bats in June.

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