Inside The Phillies

Phillies Bats Go Cold as Rockies Take First Game of Series

The Philadelphia Phillies fall 4-1 to the Colorado Rockies enroute to a 4-7 start to the 2022 MLB season.

Kade Kistner

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into the 2022 MLB season, this Philadelphia Phillies lineup was supposed to be one of the largest producing units in baseball. Home runs, dingers, moonshots, whatever your choice word may be, were supposed to be launched in ballparks all over the nation. 

Unfortunately, that has yet to come to fruition this season for the Phillies. In fact, aside from a few outings, this Philly lineup has been largely toothless. It has lacked chemistry. There is no direction. That was on full display on Monday night when they dropped the first game of a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies. 

Through the first five innings it was largely a pitchers duel between Rockies starter Chad Kuhl and Phillies starter Aaron Nola. Neither team could get a run across the plate and it seemed like both could go deep into the game. 

Nola looked very good despite the lack of offense (and defense) to support him. His fastball was well located and his off-speed pitches baffled Colorado. He looked as if he was going to cruise through the sixth.

Instead, with one out in the bottom of the sixth, Rockies outfielder Charlie Blackmon hit a homerun off of Nola to get the scoring started. It also marked the end of Nola's night in which he pitched 5.1 innings and would eventually be tagged with two earned runs with four strikeouts. 

Defensive blunders from third baseman Alec Bohm and first baseman Rhys Hoskins did little to help Nola along the way. Yet, he kept the team in the game and his start was a positive considering his start to the season.

The Rockies extended their lead in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run double from Randal Grichuk. A 4-0 lead in the seventh seemed cavernous, impossible to overcome. In the end, it was.

Despite what looked to be a rally in the eighth off of a Bohm single, then Jean Segura single, and eventually a Didi Gregorius double to make it 4-1, it wouldn't be enough.

J.T. Realmuto came to the plate with runners on second and third and hit a floater back to the mound that would end up becoming a double play to end the inning. It was the turning point in the game. In fact, it effectively ended the game. 

Inexplicably, the Phillies best bullpen arm in Corey Knebel came into the game in the eighth with Philadelphia down 4-1. He did pitch a shutout inning, but the risk of injury, coupled with the deficit, once again calls into question manager Joe Girardi's reasoning and strategy with this Phillies bullpen. 

In the ninth inning there was one last bit of hope as the meat of the Philadelphia lineup took to the plate. Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, and Rhys Hoskins, all capable of changing the tide of the game with one swing, were unable to do so. 

The Phillies fell to the Rockies 4-1 and to 4-7 on the season. They will look to rectify this loss on Tuesday as they once again face off against Colorado in the second game of this three-game series. 

More From SI's Inside The Phillies:

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  2. Phillies Top-10 Prospects Heading Into the 2022 MLB Season
  3. 18-Year-Old Phillies Prospect is Making History
  4. How did Philadelphia end up with Citizens Bank Park?
  5. How the Phillie Phanatic Came to be America's Favorite Sports Mascot
  6. This Unlikely Draft Pick Could be the Final Piece in the Phillies Next Blockbuster Trade
  7. "The Family Was More Nervous Than Him," Stott’s Relatives on Debut
  8. Picking the Phillies' All-Time Single Season Lineup
  9. Why Did the Phillies Forget About These Top Prospects?
  10. Castellanos Shows He's Ready to Play in Philadelphia

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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl.  During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated.  Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.

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