Rob Thomson reportedly drops a bombshell and sends a strong message to phillis.......

A rumor circulated on Wednesday that the Phillies and Reds needed to play baseball on a cold, windy, and rainy night at Citizens Bank Park — not because the game was already scheduled or to preserve Thursday’s off-day, but because the ballpark was hosting a wedding on Thursday.

Seriously. A wedding.

It was obviously rubbish. The Phillies and Reds played through the elements because they could, albeit the Phillies didn’t have as much fun as they had on Tuesday, when Bryce Harper hit three home runs in a win against Cincinnati. They lost the series finale on Wednesday, 4-1, and are now 2-4.

It is not the start they envisioned, but there is no reason to worry. Not yet.

“We know we’re good,” second baseman Bryson Stott stated. “I believe we are off to a better start than last year, as horrible as that sounds. We play 162. Obviously, you don’t want to throw away games like that, or any of the others we’ve lost, but we’ll get them next time.”

The Phillies began last season 1-5, but they rallied and advanced to Game 7 of the NLCS. They started 3-3 in 2022 and advanced to the World Series.

“It is what it is,” ace Zack Wheeler explained. “We can’t do anything about it right now. We just need to play more consistently and we’ll be right where we want to be.”

Wheeler allowed three hits, three runs (one earned), and one walk while striking out ten in six innings. He has a 0.75 ERA after two starts, including six scoreless innings on Opening Day.

But the Phils have scored only three runs in those two games, and they are batting .223 with a .660 OPS in six games overall. They have struck out 54 times in 220 plate appearances (24.5 percent), although they have walked 22 times (10 percent).

The big hits haven’t come as expected.

“We’re a better offensive club than we’re showing, obviously,” manager Rob Thomson said. “I have all the confidence in the world in them, but we’re off to a little bit of a slow start.”

Stott couldn’t scoop up a ground ball from Nick Martini to start the third, and the error allowed Martini to reach. Wheeler hit Jonathan India with a pitch to put runners on first and second with one out. After Will Benson grounded out for the second out, Christian Encarnacion-Strand doubled to left to clear the bases and make it 2-0. Jake Fraley and Elly De La Cruz then hit back-to-back doubles in the sixth to make it 3-0.

Kyle Schwarber’s solo homer to right in the sixth cut the deficit to 3-1.

The Phillies had stacked the bases against Cincinnati starter Frankie Montas when the Reds called in left-handed pitcher Justin Wilson to face Brandon Marsh.

Marsh flew out to third baseman Jeimer Candelario to end the inning.

Thomson could have substituted Alec Bohm for Marsh, but he preferred Marsh’s first two at-bats, including a single in the fifth. The Phillies have walked a fine line between saying Marsh can play consistently against left-handed pitchers and resting him on a regular basis.

Marsh sat twice this weekend against lefties. Whit Merrifield and Cristian Pache started in left instead.

“[Marsh] needs to get left-handed reps,” Thomson added. “His at bats versus lefties have actually been quite good. And I was saving Bohm for the [Johan] Rojas position.”

The Phillies did not pose a threat after the sixth inning. Following the game, they packed their bags and boarded a train to Washington, where they will play three games against the Nationals this weekend before three in St. Louis early the following week.

The Phillies had a solid week on the road and will put it behind them.

“Everybody is still locked into playing well and getting off to a good start and winning the division,” Thomson told reporters.

Tags: Philadelphia Phillies