Let’s play real or overreaction after Phillies opener: Alec Bohm revenge tour, contact concerns, and more

WASHINGTON — It always begins with pomp and pageantry, with the giant flag blanketing the outfield and a deafening flyover piercing the blue sky.

And it ends with overreactions.

Because after opening day, all you have is ... opening day, nine innings — 10, in the case of this Phillies vintage — from which to draw conclusions. It’s also usually followed by a day off, a built-in rain date that, if it goes unused, only allows for extra marination.

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Good thing, too, given all there was to digest from the Phillies’ 7-3 victory over the Nationals before a sellout crowd in the Washington Navy Yard.

Let’s take it all, point by point, in no particular order, and decide if it’s real or an overreaction:

Some of the best trades are the ones that don’t get made. Or something like that. Anyway, Alec Bohm banged a two-out, two-run double to snap a 3-3 tie in the 10th inning.

And to think the Phillies explored trading him in the offseason.

“Obviously [the rumors] were real,” said Bryce Harper, who has the same agent (Scott Boras) as Bohm. “He had a possibility of going somewhere else. A lot of guys in here, man, including myself, we love that kid over there. What a big at-bat for him to come through right there.”

Bohm tried to insulate himself from the rumors but couldn’t escape the questions from friends, family, even acquaintances at the Houston gym where he works out in the offseason. In December, he finally received a reassuring phone call from manager Rob Thomson.

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“I’ve been through it also, where your name gets out there a good bit and you think you’re gone,” said Zack Wheeler, who allowed a solo homer and struck out eight batters in six innings. “He’s here with us, and he’s our third baseman. He’s a really good hitter; he’s become a really good fielder. And I’m happy to have him. I’m just glad he’s with us.”

But the reason Bohm isn’t elsewhere is because the Phillies weren’t able to find a deal that would net what they perceived as fair value. If the industry doesn’t view him as highly as even the team that discussed trading him, maybe he can draw motivation from that.

“It’s not very often that you get to play three or four seasons in a row with the same group in professional sports,” Bohm said. “It’s nice to be back here, back where I’m comfortable.”

Verdict: Real

The Phillies struck out 19 times, one short of tying the franchise record. Thirteen came in the first six innings against Nationals lefty MacKenzie Gore.

Surely, the late-afternoon shadows didn’t help.

“Did it look very good?” Bohm said. “It’s part of it.”

It’s also true to the Phillies’ offensive identity. Last season, there were 57 games — more than one-third of the schedule — in which they struck out at least 10 times. But they also scored the fifth-most runs in baseball, largely because they can strike quickly with homers almost as easily as they can strike out.

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Sure enough, after all the swings and misses against Gore, Harper and Kyle Schwarber blasted first-pitch solo homers in the seventh inning to open a 2-1 lead. It was cathartic for Harper, who didn’t feel great about his swing after not going deep in the Grapefruit League.

“Obviously we don’t want to punch 19 times,” Harper said. “It’s comical, right? It’s not fun to do that. And we can’t do that as a team. But today, we make it happen and made it work. We’ll take it right there.”

Said Bohm: “One through nine, anyone that steps up, there’s a chance something good can happen for sure.”

There are better reasons for concern. The Phillies may be susceptible to good left-handed pitching, especially at the bottom of the lineup. Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh, left-handed hitters who bat eighth and ninth, went 0-for-8 with six strikeouts. With two on and nobody out in the eighth inning, they both whiffed against lefty reliever Jose A. Ferrer. It was only one game, but it might be symptomatic of a larger problem.

Overall, though, the strikeouts are part of the deal. It will drive fans crazy at times, but it’s the trade-off with a powerful offense.

Verdict: (Mostly) Overreaction

In time, maybe Thomson will designate a closer. It happened midway through the last two seasons, with Craig Kimbrel eventually handling the ninth inning in 2023 and trade-deadline addition Carlos Estévez last year.

For now, though, it’s closer-by-matchups.

So, with a bunch of right-handed hitters due to bat in the eighth inning, Thomson called on righty Jordan Romano. In his Phillies debut, Romano issued a leadoff walk, hit a batter, allowed a double-steal, and gave up a run on a groundout.

With two out, he got ahead in the count 0-2 to Luis García Jr., then gave up a line-drive RBI single on a slider to tie the game.

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Opening-day jitters?

“Yeah, I’d say so. Maybe a touch,” said Romano, whose velocity was down a tick but still sat at 96 mph. “But I settled in, felt like myself. But I need to be better, for sure.”

Would it help to have a defined role in the bullpen?

“I was prepared from the seventh inning on today, just getting prepared to go out there and get outs,” the former All-Star closer said. “I mean, it’s slightly different. But yeah, I’ll be prepared to pitch seventh, eighth, ninth, wherever that may be.”

Thomson said he trusts any combination of Romano, Orion Kerkering, and lefties José Alvarado and Matt Strahm to handle the late innings. After a lights-out spring, Alvarado was electric in the ninth, hitting 101 mph.

And naturally, it was Strahm who closed out a wacky opener in the 10th inning after missing 10 days in spring training with shoulder inflammation.

So, Thomson doesn’t lack reliable options. Romano should be among them.

Verdict: Overreaction