PHILADELPHIA -- The boos came early Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. And by the third inning, they were unavoidable.
The Phillies are 1-3, and four games into a season built on October expectations, they already look uncomfortably similar to the version that stalled too often at the plate a year ago. The numbers are jarring this early: a .189 team batting average, fourth worst in baseball, and a 6.57 ERA that ranks second worst.
But the most alarming number might be sitting right at the top of the lineup.
Because when the Phillies go, it almost always starts with Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, and Alec Bohm.
Right now, they’re not going at all.
That group has combined to hit just 8-for-64 (.125) to open the season — and that’s the engine of everything this offense is supposed to be. Table-setter. Power. Run production. Pressure. Instead, it’s been quick innings, empty at-bats, and very little resistance for opposing pitchers.
And that’s where this early stretch starts to make more sense.
When Turner isn’t on base, the lineup loses its pace. When Schwarber isn’t grinding through at-bats or driving the ball, there’s no early punch. When Harper isn’t controlling counts, everything behind him tightens. And when Bohm isn’t cashing in, innings simply end.
That’s how you get what unfolded over the weekend — and what carried into Monday.
Flat.
That word has followed them since Opening Day.
Monday’s 13-2 loss to the Nationals only amplified it. A 7-0 deficit by the third inning will do that, draining whatever energy remained from a crowd of 35,609 that arrived expecting a response and instead watched another game slip away before it ever truly started.
The warning signs were already there.
The Phillies were no-hit into the fifth inning on Saturday. Then again on Sunday. And when Monday unfolded in much the same way — quiet at-bats, little traffic, no sustained pressure — it stopped feeling like early-season noise and started to resemble something more familiar.
“It was one of those nights,” manager Rob Thomson said. “We’ve got to shake it off and come out here tomorrow and play better.”
But even that felt understated for what unfolded.
Thomson himself didn’t make it past the first inning, ejected after arguing a replay challenge. It was an early flash of frustration from a manager known for his steadiness, and it matched the tone of a team that hasn’t yet found its footing.
What made it more confounding was the man on the mound for Washington.
Forrest Griffin — a 30-year-old left-hander making his first major league start and his first appearance in the majors since 2022 after several seasons pitching in Japan — was supposed to represent an opportunity. A lineup like the Phillies’, built around star power, is designed to capitalize in those moments.
Instead, they let him settle in.
They let him dictate.
And once again, they never mounted anything resembling sustained offense.
That’s the part that echoes.
This isn’t about one bad night. It’s about a pattern — one that stretches back to last season — where the Phillies’ offense can disappear for long stretches, leaving their margin for error razor thin. When the pitching falters, as it has through four games, there’s no counterpunch.
Now, the focus shifts to Tuesday night, and perhaps a jolt of something different.
Andrew Painter is set to make his major league debut, one of the organization’s most anticipated arrivals in years. In a moment when the team needs energy, needs life, needs something to reset the tone, the spotlight turns to a 21-year-old making his first big league start.
It’s not fair to ask him to fix everything.
But four games in, the Phillies don’t just need a win.
They need a pulse.
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Recent Philly | Phillies Baseball News
- Phillies and Nationals preview: Philly offense still searching for answers after rough weekend (March 30)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Swain, Fehrman earn Philadelphia Baseball Review weekly honors - presented by Wheelhouse Cards (March 30)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Bukowski’s bat becoming a problem as Widener finds its footing (March 30)
- Gore dominates again as Phillies stumble out of gate in Opening Day series loss (March 29)
- 5 Sunday Morning Observations: Two games in, this is what we’ve seen from the Phillies (March 29)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Fehrman flirts with no-hitter as Saint Joseph’s blanks Fordham (March 28)
- Cold bats, late rally fall short as Phillies lose to Rangers in extra innings (March 28)
- Stubbs stays with Phillies after clearing waivers, sent to Lehigh Valley (March 28)
- After Sánchez sets the tone, Nola and Phillies look to keep it rolling against the Rangers (March 28)
- Opening Day 2026: The Phillies are good enough to win the World Series, but is their moment passing? (March 26)
- Bryce Harper’s Phillies legacy is built — but not yet finished (March 26)
- Inside the Phillies prospect baseball card boom: Why Crawford, Painter, and Miller are must-buys now (March 26)
- Rob Thomson’s quiet consistency has made him one of the most effective managers in Phillies history (March 24)
- Is Kyle Schwarber building a Hall of Fame case — or forcing a new one to exist? (March 24)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: La Salle pitches around trouble, blanks Penn 8-0 in City Series matchup (March 24)
- Pokrovsky, Shay earn Philadelphia Baseball Review Division I weekly honors presented by Wheelhouse Cards (March 23)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Big 5 surging: Penn, Villanova, and Saint Joseph’s ride weekend series wins (March 22)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: Neumann, Widener, Eastern highlight busy Saturday with splits and statement performances (March 21)
- COLLEGE BASEBALL: La Salle breaks it open with six-run fourth, powers past Davidson, 8–2 (March 21)
- Phillies News from the Philadelphia Baseball Review
Support the Mission. Fuel the Movement.
You’re not just funding journalism — you’re backing the future of youth baseball in Philly.
👉 Join us on Patreon »
