Whenever the 7-foot-1, 324-pound “Diesel a.k.a Shaquille O’Neal” is playing a postgame concert, it’s only fitting that the home team precedes it with an absolutely enormous performance at the plate.
The Phillies did just that on Saturday, piling on early and keeping their foot on the throttle en route to utter demolition of the Washington Nationals.
The catalyst of that victory was the middle innings. The Phillies scored 18 runs from the third through fifth frames alone, powered by two homers from Alec Bohm.
The two blasts — and the middle-innings barrage — came after Bohm had already tied the game for the Phillies in the second, on yet another hit with a runner in scoring position.
Bohm drove in his sixth run of the day with another RISP single in the fifth — the fourth straight inning in which he drove in a run. (More on undoubtedly the best game of Bohm’s career, below.)
The Phillies must have read about their recent extra-base hits drought after last night’s loss, because they seemed intent on emphatically closing the book on that era. They accumulated nine extra-base hits (including Bohm’s two): five doubles and four homers (only the former category to which Bryce Harper belonged).
Kyle Schwarber capped off the middle-inning scoring with the final of those extra-base hits, a grand slam for his second knock in the June 31 win.
Every hitter in the Phillies’ starting lineup collected at least one hit. Schwarber, Harper, Edmundo Sosa and Trea Turner had two. Bohm had four. Nick Castellanos had three, with a “Destiny’s Child Cycle,” the second hit of which brought himself and Turner home after the latter led off the fourth with a double.
The Phillies pulled several starters after the eight-run fifth effectively ended the game (if it wasn’t quite over at 11-4). Among that group was Zack Wheeler, who turned in his second straight underwhelming start (after three good ones) by allowing four runs and seven hits in five innings while striking out six on 85 pitches.
The story, of course, was the offense — as it will be whenever a team posts its highest offensive output in five years and three months.
After a tough loss featuring tons of missed opportunities and putrid offense put an end to an overall wildly successful 18-8 month of June, the Phillies got right back on track with about as good a start to July as they could’ve drawn up. They’re 44-38.
Shibe Vintage Sports Notes
- If you’ll recall, Alec Bohm hit .434 with a 1.088 OPS last July and was in the mix for National League Player of the Month. Is this a new thing?
- The Phillies went 9-for-16 with runners in scoring position on Saturday. That — both the 16 and the 9 — is more like it.
Ticket IQ Next Game
- Sunday, July 2 vs. Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park
- 1:35 p.m. Eastern
- TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Radio: SportsRadio 94WIP
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