Is It Time To Start Panicking About the Philadelphia Phillies?

After opening the 2023 MLB season winless against the Texas Rangers and a series against the New York Yankees looming, is it time to start panicking?

Kade Kistner | Apr 3, 2023

Is It Time To Start Panicking About the Philadelphia Phillies? /

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Philadelphia Phillies

Where to even start? That's what I had to ask myself after taking some time to reflect on this series after the Philadelphia Phillies started 0-3 to start the 2023 MLB season. Against the Texas Rangers no less, a team they just can't seem to win against. At least not since 2014.

That's a long time to continue losing to the same team. A curse perhaps? It sure feels like one after this opening series where anything and everything that could go wrong did.

Ace Aaron Nola got the start on Opening Day and pitched just 3.2 innings and gave up five earned runs. Not great, it's early, and this sort of thing has occasionally happened to Nola. We will chalk up the performance to it being early.

The fourth inning on Opening Day in which the Rangers scored nine runs, that was a fluke too, right? This Texas offense isn't really that good.

Tough loss, at least Zack Wheeler takes the mound on Saturday after an off day. At least that's what I was thinking walking out of Globe Life Field on Thursday.

But Saturday came and brought with it more of the same. The ever-steady Wheeler was tagged with five runs, four earned, on just 4.1 innings pitched. This time the Phillies only spotted him three runs of support.

Oh, and that Texas offense, it wasn't a fluke, they put up 16 runs and forced Josh Harrison, a position player, to pitch the eighth inning. Oh and fun fact, the Rangers scored more runs in their first two games (27) than the Dallas Cowboys scored points in their first two games last season (23).

Yeah, the wheels on the bus came off.

Alright, Sunday can't be this bad right?

Well, it wasn't but things still went wrong for Philadelphia, as they always seem to do in situations like this. You just want one win against a team you think you should get one against, and you just can't buy a victory.

So Bailey Falter took the mound on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, tossed a brilliant outing of 5.1 innings pitched, gave up just two earned runs, and he still wound up with the loss.

This time, the Rangers needed just two runs to win as the Phillies plated just one run on nine hits and three walks.

Kyle Schwarber had a 416-foot out to dead center.

It was one of those nights. Again.

So to sum up the weekend: the offense was good at times but only when the starting pitching wasn't. But when the starting pitching was serviceable it was only when the offense couldn't produce a run. And the bullpen was pretty awful until it wasn't and by that point it didn't matter.

How Philly.

But hey, at least the New York Yankees are next on the docket and *checks notes* Taijuan Walker and Matt Strahm get to kick it off with the American League East team.

New York is 2-1 on the season and between Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge who have hit home runs this season that have gone a combined 1,000,000 feet if the local New York media is to be believed.

Is it scary? Maybe.

Will the Phillies sweep the Yankees after getting swept by the Rangers? Almost assuredly, welcome to Philadelphia.

Is it time to panic? No.

Welcome back baseball, we have missed you.

Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Substack and Twitter!

Published Apr 3, 2023

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.