The Philadelphia Phillies got beat up by the Houston Astros on Wednesday in an ugly game that led to Taijuan Walker being demoted to the bullpen. The Phillies bounced back against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday with a 5-4 win. However, the team lost starting third baseman Alec Bohm in the process.
The 27-year-old All-Star hurt his hand on an awkward swing and was forced to leave the game after his at bat in the first inning. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said that Bohm is sore after suffering “Kind of a zinger,” per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb on X. Fortunately the x-rays on his ailing hand were negative.
Bohm departed for the clubhouse after his first inning at bat and appeared to be in a lot of pain, according to NBC Philly’s John Clark. Edmundo Sosa took over for him at third base.
The fifth-year pro made his first-career All-Star game this season. He leads the majors with 44 doubles and has 13 home runs and 89 RBI with a .806 OPS and an OPS+ of 124. Bohm is up to 3.4 bWAR in 130 games for Philadelphia.
The Phillies lost Bohm in the first inning
The team won the opening game of a four-game series against the Braves. Nick Castellanos played the hero with a go-ahead two-run home run in the seventh inning. He’s up to 19 homers on the season. The two-time All-Star also went deep in the Phillies’ 5-0 win against the Astros on Tuesday. Speaking after the game, Castellanos explained his unique hitting style by saying he just tries to hit the ball as hard as he can.
The Phillies were the best team in baseball over the first half of the season. Since the hot start the team has struggled a bit going 17-21 since returning from the All-Star break. But Philadelphia seems to have figured things out of late as they’re 10-5 over their last 15 games.
The four-game set against Atlanta could have a serious impact on the division race as the Phillies have a six-game lead over the Braves in the National League East. The team has been led by great pitching all season and after some turmoil, the rotation seems to be coming together. With Walker moving to the bullpen and Ranger Suarez returning from a month-long injured list stint the Phillies got solid starts from Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Suarez this week.
Philadelphia appears in good shape to wrap up the division in September and prepare for a deep playoff run. The team is one of the most talented in baseball. They sent an MLB-best eight players to the All-Star game including three starters for the first time in four decades.
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