PHILADELPHIA — Maybe Alec Bohm didn’t need mechanical changes.
Maybe he didn’t need a swing overhaul, a deep analytical dive, or a dramatic reinvention at the plate.
Maybe he simply needed a breath.
After spending the last two games on the bench in an effort to mentally reset one of the worst offensive starts of his career, Bohm returned to the Phillies lineup Saturday night looking like an entirely different hitter — and perhaps, for the first time in weeks, a relieved one.
The struggling third baseman crushed a pair of solo home runs, doubled home two more runs in the eighth inning, and finished with three hits and four RBI to power the Phillies to a 9-3 victory over the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park.
For a player who entered the night carrying a .159 average, one home run, and the second-lowest OPS among qualified major-league hitters, it felt less like a good game and more like an emotional exhale.
The Phillies were desperately waiting for signs that Bohm was still in there somewhere.
Saturday may have offered the first real evidence.
Interim manager Don Mattingly made the difficult decision earlier this week to sit Bohm for consecutive games, including Friday night’s opener against Colorado, hoping the break would clear his head amid a miserable opening six weeks.
Early returns could not have looked much better.
Bohm tied the game in the third inning with a solo homer to left before returning an inning later and hammering another solo shot into left-center. By the eighth inning, with the Phillies already controlling the game, Bohm ripped a two-run double into left field to punctuate his best night of the season.
The crowd that spent much of April groaning through his at-bats suddenly sounded different.
Every hard-hit ball felt louder.
Every swing carried a little more conviction.
And perhaps most importantly, Bohm finally looked aggressive again instead of defensive.
The offensive breakout overshadowed another monster night from Trea Turner, who continued his torrid stretch atop the lineup by going 4-for-4 while repeatedly igniting traffic on the bases. Turner singled four times, stole a base, and scored during a five-run third inning that completely shifted momentum.
That inning changed everything.
After Colorado grabbed an early lead on a Willi Castro homer in the second inning, Bohm answered immediately in the third before Turner and Bryson Stott ignited a rally in front of Kyle Schwarber, who demolished a three-run homer into the right-field seats for his 14th home run of the season. Edmundo Sosa later added an RBI single as the Phillies suddenly turned a one-run deficit into a 5-1 advantage.
The Rockies briefly threatened in the fourth when Kyle Karros lined a two-run double into left field against Aaron Nola, trimming the lead to 5-3.
But Bohm answered again almost immediately.
His second homer of the night restored breathing room and prevented the game from tilting into another stressful bullpen evening.
Nola’s night, meanwhile, remained uneven.
The veteran right-hander once again struggled to put hitters away efficiently and failed to complete five innings, needing 94 pitches to record 14 outs while allowing three runs on six hits. The stuff flashed at times, but the laborious innings continued a frustrating trend for a pitcher still searching for consistency.
The bullpen, however, slammed the door.
Left-hander Tanner Banks delivered arguably his sharpest outing of the season, tossing two dominant scoreless innings while striking out three and stabilizing the middle innings. Chase Shugart followed with a clean eighth inning before the Phillies added insurance late behind Bohm’s two-run double.
For one night, though, the story belonged entirely to Bohm.
Not because two home runs erase six miserable weeks.
They don’t.
But because Saturday looked like something even more important:
A hitter finally playing free again.
Recent Philly | Phillies Baseball News | Philadelphia Baseball Review
- Alec Bohm breaks out in a big way with two homers as Phillies roll past Rockies (May 9)
- Jesus Luzardo stumbles, Justin Crawford delivers first career homer, Phillies fall to Rockies in 11 innings (May 8)
- Alec Bohm’s struggles reach critical point as Phillies push for mental reset (May 8)
- Widener returns to MAC Commonwealth championship series with Messiah standing in the way (May 8)
- Jefferson’s turbulent season ends in heartbreak with pair of crushing CACC tournament losses (May 8)
- Andrew Painter rocked early as Athletics crush Phillies at Citizens Bank Park (May 7)
- Immaculata faces elimination after Atlantic East tournament loss to Marymount (May 7)
- West Chester erupts for eight-run inning, rolls in PSAC tournament opener (May 7)
- Phillies rally late behind Zack Wheeler’s return to beat Athletics, win fourth straight (May 7)
- When Philadelphia was a two-team baseball city: The Phillies, Athletics, and a lost baseball identity (May 6)
- Cristopher Sánchez dominates as Bryce Harper powers Phillies past A’s (May 5)
- Primrose, Fehrman lead Saint Joseph’s to historic Atlantic 10 title week (May 5)
- Harper delivers, Nola responds as Phillies win tight one in Miami (May 4)
- Saint Joseph’s clinches Atlantic 10 regular season title as Blake Primrose’s record day powers 14-9 win (May 3)
- Phillies erupt for six in first as Bryson Stott, Jesús Luzardo lead rout of Marlins (May 3)
- Phillies shut out by Marlins as Max Meyer dominates in 4-0 loss (May 2)
- Fehrman dominates with 13 Ks as Saint Joseph’s blanks St. Bonaventure (May 2)
- Penn sweeps Brown, awaits Ivy League title fate (May 2)
- Jefferson erupts late to eliminate Chestnut Hill, advance in CACC tournament (May 2)
- Ursinus eyeing first ever Centennial Conference title after dominant Saturday sweep (May 2)
- Wheeler sharp, Phillies survive late chaos to extend win streak (May 1)
- Saint Joseph’s clinches A-10 berth, holds off 8-run rally to edge St. Bonaventure (May 1)
- Penn State Brandywine’s season ends as Keystone rallies late to complete sweep in United East tournament (May 1)
- Widener rallies late, holds off Hood to take Game 1 in MAC Commonwealth best--of-three semifinal (May 1)
- Arcadia opens MAC Freedom semifinals with win, uses late surge to hold off Misericordia (May 1)
- CACC Tournament: Holy Family’s season ends after late collapse as Goldey-Beacom completes sweep (May 1)
- CACC Tournament: Jefferson responds, forces winner-take-all after Chestnut Hill takes opener (May 1)
- Ursinus lets five-run lead slip as Johns Hopkins rallies late in Centennial tournament (May 1)
- Chase Shugart earns two wins as Phillies sweep doubleheader with pair of walk-offs (April 30)
- Stott, Crawford deliver late as Phillies overcome missed chances in win over Giants (April 30)
- Rob Thomson didn’t duck it — a classy, accountable exit in Philadelphia (April 30)
- How to navigate the Fishtown Card Show: Insider tips from Wheelhouse’s Matt Stratton (April 30)
- Ursinus rides four-run third, advances in Centennial Conference tournament with 4-2 win (April 29)
- Penn State Brandywine rallies past early mistakes, earns first United East Tournament win (April 29)
- Valley Forge rallies late to survive United East play-in test, advances with 12-8 win (April 29)
- Luzardo dominates as Phillies back Don Mattingly’s “better baseball” message in 7-0 win (April 28)
- Rob Thomson was the move — but not the problem for the Phillies (April 28)
- Phillies fire Rob Thomson after 9–19 start, name Don Mattingly interim manager (April 28)
- Pagano and Shurtleff earn Player of the Week honors from the Philadelphia Baseball Review (April 27)
- Saint Joseph’s routs La Salle, sets program record with 19th Atlantic 10 win (April 27)
- Eastern wins finale, but postseason hopes fall short despite record-setting 26-win season (April 27)
- Ursinus clinches Centennial postseason berth, earns No. 4 seed after split with nationally ranked Johns Hopkins (April 27)
- Phillies fall to Braves 6-2 as Aaron Nola’s struggles continue, drop to 9-19 (April 27)
- Phillies snap 10-game losing streak behind Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler in extra-inning win (April 26)
- Phillies lose tenth straight as familiar mistakes continue in Atlanta (April 25)
- Saint Joseph’s Gaines earns national recognition as postseason races tighten across region (April 24)
- Phillies show fight but can’t finish as losing streak reaches nine (April 24)
- Phillies release Taijuan Walker, but at 8-16, the questions aren’t going away (April 23)
- Phillies spiral continues as Taijuan Walker’s struggles force a looming decision (April 23)
- Saint Joseph’s claims Liberty Bell Classic title behind Beggy, Sweeney at Citizens Bank Park (April 22)
- Phillies’ spiral deepens in 7-4 loss at Wrigley: Walks, missed moments, and a season slipping (April 22)
- Swingman Classic comes to Philadelphia: MLB’s All-Star stage expands its future (April 21)
- Phillies fall to 8–15 as Nola struggles, offense goes hitless again with RISP in loss to Cubs (April 20)
- Shurtleff dominates, Gale explodes as weekly honors spotlight Penn, Saint Joseph’s (April 20)
- Swarthmore stuns No. 4 Johns Hopkins, throws Centennial race into chaos (April 20)
- Saint Joseph’s takes control, West Chester responds, and the postseason picture tightens across Philly college baseball (April 20)
- 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 »
