Maybe it wasn’t Gabe Kapler’s fault. Things were supposed to get better now that Mr. Coconut Oil was in San Francisco, and the Phillies had a World Series winning manager Joe Girardi at the helm. But aside from the presence of Didi Gregorius and the absence of fans in the stands, the Phillies’ season that opened the 5-2 loss to the Marlins could easily have taken place in September 2019.
The fact that I predicted this would not make it easier to see. Failures on the first day of the season always feel worse because it’s the first impression the team has made on you in months. In 2020, this feeling is amplified because we had to wait even longer, and with a shorter season, each game becomes more important.
Aaron Nola made his third consecutive start on Opening Day, and while it wasn’t his best performance, he pitched better than his line indicated. He was the victim of Jesús Aguilar’s two-run homer in the sixth inning, but other than that, there wasn’t much hard contact against him.
Due to the nature of the season, Nola would never pitch especially in the game, and when Corey Dickerson doubled down immediately after Aguilar’s home run, Girardi called the bullpen. His favorite pitcher: Ramon Rosso.
Rosso was an interesting choice in this situation. The game was still close, so it might not have been the best idea to use a pitcher who made his major league debut. Rosso allowed the legacy runner to score thanks to two wild pitches, then gave up his own career.
Rosso was not the only unnamed pitcher the Phillies used in the game. He was followed by Reggie McClain, Austin Davis, and Trevor Kelley, prompting many Phillies fans to wonder, “Who are these guys?” Fortunately, non-Rosso pitchers were able to keep the Marlins off the scoreboard.
However, the Phillies’ offense couldn’t do much against Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara. The Phillies had just eight running backs, and Gregorius was the only hitter to appear, with a 2-3 mark, including a solo home run.
In the sixth inning, the Phillies had a chance to return to the game when Marlins center fielder Jonathan Villar dropped a routine ball, scoring a run.
The next hitter was Scott Kingery, and he shot to left field that simply missed a two-run homer. Instead, it was just a long, dirty ball, and on the next pitch, Kingery missed. Two innings later, the Phillies had two running backs with two outs, but JT Realmuto also failed to end the threat.
As for managerial debuts, Girardi was certainly not as disastrous as that of his predecessor. However, if the Phillies have legitimate hopes of making the playoffs in this shortened season, the rest of Girardi’s season should be much better than the first game.
