Bryce Harper, Phillies Roll Against Cardinals

PHILADELPHIA – Phillies manager Joe Girardi answered a few questions on Friday afternoon about his lineup and how a tweak here or there could speed up his attack.

But at some point, the Phils will have to hit where they fit in a lineup. They batted in a 9-2 win over the Cardinals in the series opener at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night. They hit the ball hard, but three balls that should have been out led to a six-run rally in the second inning in which nine consecutive Philadelphia-batters reached on a hit, walk, or hit by pitch.

The Phillies needed it. They just returned from a 1-5 road trip through Atlanta and New York. They came into play with .235 with a .665 OPS and averaged just 3.5 runs per game this season. They hit .257 with a .781 OPS and 5.1 runs per game. It’s been a bit of a slog, and the Phils even got a little bit of luck when the rain delayed Thursday’s game against the Mets in New York, where they would take on Jacob deGrom.

Alec Bohm started the second with a ground ball to Cardinal shortstop Paul DeJong, who lost his footing and was unable to make a throw to first. Didi Gregorius hit a ball to second baseman Matt Carpenter, who hit the ball into shallow rightfield. Jean Segura then hit a ball to midfielder Dylan Carlson, who lost the ball in the wind or the air (or both). The ball fell a few yards in front of him, allowing the first run of the game to score.

Phillies righthanded Zach Eflin gave up two runs in seven plus innings.

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