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Phillies crush Angels in Thomson’s managerial debut

Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs in a game for the second time this season on Friday. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)

Final Score: Phillies 10, Angels 0

The Phillies are 1-0 in the Rob Thomson era.

They’ve taken the first of three against the scuffling Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who have now lost nine-consecutive games. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper both hit two home runs, Bryson Stott homered for the first time in his career and Zach Eflin threw eight shutout innings. Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout combined to go 0-for-7 with three strikeouts against the Phillies starter.

The Phillies were kind to their new skipper. Friday will probably be the easiest game Thomson will manage all year.

Hittin’ Season?

Friday’s offensive outburst felt similar to the one the Phillies played when John Middleton fired former hitting coach John Mallee (now Angels assistant hitting coach) and replaced him with Charlie Manuel in 2019.

With “Chuck” in attendance, the Phillies bats did not disappoint. They combined to score ten runs on 10 hits. Schwarber began the game with a first-pitch leadoff home run to center. Harper hit two home runs to the opposite field.

Schwarber posted a 1.122 OPS in June last season with the Nationals. He could be in for another tear. It would come at a time the Phillies need it the most.

Let the kids play

When Thomson’s first lineup as Phillies manager came out, fans were a bit surprised to see Alec Bohm, Nick Maton, Bryson Stott and Mickey Moniak, all players age 25 and under, batting sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth.

The four combined for three runs scored, four hits and four RBIs. Stott hit his first-career home run, a three-run blast off 2021 11th round pick Chase Silseth in the second to give the Phillies a 4-0 lead.

Maton worked out a walk and hit a triple in two plate appearances. He made a spectacular play in the sixth on a high blooper to shallow right field. He dove for the ball and landed on his right shoulder. He was removed from the game and the official word from the team is that he suffered a right shoulder sprain. He’ll undergo further testing on Saturday. Thomson said after the game that Maton is not in “a lot of pain.”

Trout returns home

The consensus best player in the sport over the last decade is playing in Philly this weekend for the first time since 2014. His first at-bat against the Phillies came against Cliff Lee, a pitcher he rooted for as a high schooler. He was just 22 back then. He’s 30 now and could retire today a first-ballot Hall of Famer if he wanted to. What hasn’t changed between Friday and the last time he played in South Philadelphia is the sizable contingent in attendance that traveled from his hometown of Millville, N.J.

“There’s so much that comes along with playing in Major League Baseball and to be able to go back and see where you came from, that’s big for me,” Trout said. “I got a great supporting cast at home. They let me know when I’m going good to settle down and when I’m not going good to let me know that I suck.”

Unfortunately for Trout, he’s still in the midst of one of the worst slumps of his career. He’s hitless in his last 19 at-bats.

Shibe Vintage Sports Notes

Friday marked the first time in over a year the Phillies have had multiple hitters with two homer games. The last time it happened was on June 1, 2021 when the Phillies beat the Reds 17-3.
The Phillies also broke a 12-game losing streak against the Angels that dates back to 2003. Per Elias Sports Bureau, it was the longest active losing streak a team had against a single opponent.

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