Phillies’ Nick Castellanos gave a brutally honest assessment of his recent slump after go-ahead homer
The outfielder had a July to forget, but August offers new hope for more home runs. "Man, did I need that,” he said of his latest.
Nick Castellanos knows he was in a hitting slump in July. But August brings a fresh start, and maybe marks the end of the drought.
When the All-Star outfielder hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning Tuesday — which proved to be the game-winner over the Miami Marlins — it was much needed, and Castellanos wasn’t afraid to admit that.
“How did that swing feel?” Scott Franzke of WIP-FM (94.1) asked after the Phillies’ 3-1 win.
“Fantastic for obvious reasons — it put us ahead in the game,” Castellanos said. “But for personal reasons, because, man, did I need that.”
Castellanos’ two-run home run on Tuesday marked his first since July 19. He has talked in the past about his struggles at bat and said it has to do with his mindset and overthinking situations.
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“Sometimes with hitting, I’m such a feel guy that I’ll get careless with my work or routine,” he said. “Not that I don’t hit, but I’ll take for granted that the game is easy, and then if you don’t have that religious work routine and plan every day, when the game goes, sometimes it goes.
“Playing in Philly, everybody wants to win so bad, the pressure is more because of the expectations,” he added, saying it’s important to have “the same mindset, sticking with working and just letting the game come to you.”