Nick Castellanos is Mr. Consistent, Orion Kerkering bounces back, and other thoughts as the Phillies return home

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Manager Rob Thomson said on Sunday after the Phillies’ 11-3 victory over the Royals that they found their approach in Kansas City. There are signs — besides the 26 runs they scored this past weekend in winning two of three games — that point to his being right.

The Phillies hit the ball harder against the Royals than they did against Atlanta, where they dropped two of three games to start the trip. The top of the lineup began to return to form, and players were grinding out at-bats.

Time will tell if they are truly back. Until then, here are a few observations heading into the Phillies’ seven-game homestand that begins Monday night against the Astros.

Orion Kerkering has a belt that he wears in games sometimes. It says, in all caps: “[Expletive] IT, WE BALL.” He got it from a friend in college, but the phrase has taken on new meaning this year. Kerkering, 23, is in the midst of his first full big-league season. This is after a year in which he leapt from low A to the majors, with seven postseason appearances.

It’s a big jump for a young player, and he has been leaning on some of the veterans for guidance. Kerkering’s main focus this season has been to use his fastball more so that he’s not relying too much on his sweeper, but another focus has been his mental game.

Kerkering said he is a perfectionist. This year, he has learned how to pitch when things aren’t going his way. He pointed to a July 28 game against the Guardians as an example. He allowed a single and a double, but both hits clocked in under 80 mph.

“It’s just seeing how little fluky things can happen through the year,” he said. “And not letting things spiral. ‘If I made this perfect, or if I made that perfect’ — you’ll never be perfect. So it’s just understanding that, basically.”

» READ MORE: Meet the pitching prospects the Phillies got in the Gregory Soto trade: Seth Johnson and Moisés Chace

He said the shift in mentality has helped him. After a rough July, in which he pitched to a 4.09 ERA over 13 outings, he has settled down in August —a 3.00 ERA in nine outings thus far, with 12 strikeouts and four walks.

Kerkering said when he has a rough outing he’ll often hear from veteran relievers Jose Alvarado or Carlos Estevez. They have helped him learn the importance of having a short memory.

“Veteran guys come up to me a lot and just say it is what it is,” Kerkering said. “Don’t overthink it. … You can’t really change the outcome.

“I think it helps boost up us younger guys. I can say, ‘Look, I don’t feel like I’m spiraling, but I want to talk it out. What did you do?’ Just pick their brains on how they handled their ups and downs.”

Here is a look at Nick Castellanos’ last three months:

After an ice-cold start to the season, Castellanos has been remarkably consistent, and his two-strike approach is one reason why.

“He spreads out, really keeps everything quiet,” Thomson said Sunday. “[His two-strike approach] has really paid off for him. His chase rate has gone down quite a bit. And he’s using the field, and that’s who he is.”

Castellanos began quieting down his movement with two strikes when the Phillies were in Pittsburgh in July. He typically has a bigger leg kick, but with two strikes, he reduced it and widened his stance.

» READ MORE: The Phillies expected more from Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh. Here’s how they’re dealing with ‘a game of failure.’

It helps him be more accurate in high-pressure counts, particularly against off-speed pitches. According to Baseball Savant, Castellanos is slugging .547 against off-speed pitches this season — a significant jump from his .265 slugging percentage against those offerings in 2023.

He has cut his whiff percentage against off-speed pitches from 43.4% in 2023 to 34.4% in 2024. As Thomson alluded to, Castellanos is also chasing less. He will always run high chase rates, but even a drop of a few points is meaningful. Last year, he chased 41% of the time — a career-high for him. Now, he’s chasing at a rate of 38.1%. It’s progress.

This is just a fluky thing, but one worth including. The Phillies drove in a lot of runs this past weekend but did not draw many walks. They walked only four times over three games against the Royals — all four coming on Sunday, and two of those came from Brandon Marsh.

They didn’t fare much better in Atlanta, drawing five walks over three games.

Their plate discipline did not suddenly vanish overnight. Walks can fluctuate with the opponent. It should come as no surprise then that the Braves rank No. 1 in baseball in strikeouts (1,226) and 24th in walks (365). The Royals rank 20th in walks allowed (382) and 25th in strikeouts (1,044).

The good news for the Phillies is that they are facing the Astros, who have the fourth most walks in baseball (461), for three games starting Monday, before the Braves come into Citizens Bank Park for four starting Thursday.

» READ MORE: The Phillies’ Aaron Nola pitches in Skechers. They fit him perfectly.