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Ricky Bo- Lots of Positives from Opening Day, Despite the Loss

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Author Dylan MacKinnon
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - MARCH 30: Alec Bohm #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies gestures as he runs the bases on his two-run home run against the Texas Rangers on Opening Day at Globe Life Field on March 30, 2023 in Arlington, Texas.

Opening day is always a special day for a ballplayer.  For some, it’s getting rid of 1st game jitters. For others, it’s a time to shine. Lastly for a rookie, it’s everything you could ever want!

On Thursday, the Phillies walked into opening day 2023 with all the confidence in the world for a return to greatness and the World Series.  Everything seemed like it was going according to plan until the bottom of the 4th inning.  Aaron Nola looked as if he was going to cruise to an easy win in Texas.  Nola struggled mightily in that fourth inning, giving up 5 of the 9 runs given up in that inning, the capping blow was a Robbie Grossman, three-run home run….Gregory Soto and Connor Brogdon didn’t help the situation giving up 4 runs between them in that horrendous 4th!

It is not the end of the world…Nola will rebound, Nola will shrug this off.  If you are looking to take something out of opening day, look no further than the offense.  Think of it this way, if the Phillies score seven runs in a game, expect those games to equal out to a ton of wins, and call Thursday’s game a blip on the radar.

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Offensively, some guys that have a lot to prove this season, show up with a vengeance…Nick Castellanos picked up a pair of hits and Alec Bohm had three hits including a two-run homer off of Jacob deGrom in the 2nd inning…Impressive!  Castellanos also had a nice defensive play in the game with a throw from right field to get Garcia in that 9run 4th inning.  The Phillies offense, as a whole had 12 hits, seven of those hits were extra base hits.  The Phillies had an almost unheard of three triples in the game.

So, what did we learn from Opening Day?  The Phillies have a powerful offense from top to bottom.  They scored 7 runs with Kyle Schwarber going 0-5 in the game…That means there may be more in the tank.  We didn’t see the monsters in the back end of the bullpen, so no worries there.  And, as for Nola, it’s one game in a long season….

Advice…forget about it and move on to Saturday…

Meet The 2023 Phillies (Probable) Opening Day Roster

The Philadelphia Phillies open up their season on Thursday at 4:05pm in Texas against the Rangers, as the most anticipated season in over a decade begins in earnest. It’s a year with great expectations, amazing new talent, a difficult division, and incredible moments just waiting to happen. Ahead of the team taking the field, let’s take a look at the players who are projected to – the official opening day roster has not yet been released – be the ones making those moments a reality in Philly this year.

  • Catchers:

  • JT Realmuto

    Realmuto will once again be the starting catcher. BCIB.

  • Garrett Stubbs

    Stubbs played a solid backup to Realmuto last season, and is expected to again this year.

  • Infielders:

  • Darick Hall

    Hall will most likely be the main starting 1st baseman with Rhys Hoskins’ ACL injury.

  • Bryson Stott

    Stott shifts to 2nd for the 2023 season with a new addition at shortstop, he’ll start in the middle for the Phils.

  • Trea Turner

    The Phillies’ biggest offseason addition, and arguably the best shortstop in baseball, Turner starts his tenure as a mainstay in the middle of the Phils’ infield.

  • Alec Bohm

    Bohm had an awesome spring, and the Phillies will be looking for their young starting 3rd baseman to make a big jump this season.

  • Edmundo Sosa

    Sosa is a utility player extraordinaire, who could probably start on some MLB teams. For the Phillies, he’ll be the first infielder off the bench and may even see some outfield time.

     

  • Josh Harrison

    The wily vet of the infield, Harrison is a defensive specialist who will see a share of innings as either a spot starter or a defensive replacement late in games.

  • Outfielders:

  • Kyle Schwarber

    Schwarber will be starting for the Phils again, whether it’s LF or DH. The NL home run champ from last year is looking for another big year.

  • Brandon Marsh

    With a strong offseason behind him, Marsh looks for an improved year as the Phillies’ everyday starter in center.

  • Nick Castellanos

    With Bryce Harper injured, Nick Castellanos will start in RF for the Phils, and he is looking for a bounce back year from a forgetful 2022.

  • Jake Cave

    Cave had an outstanding spring training, and earned a spot as an outfield depth piece on this roster. He may also DH with Darick Hall starting at 1B.

  • Dalton Guthrie

    Guthrie may not have made this roster without the Rhys Hoskins injury, but the team still has confidence in the young outfielder to be a serviceable defensive backup.

  • Starting Pitchers:

  • Aaron Nola

    Your opening day starter for the 6th straight year.

  • Zack Wheeler

    Wheeler is back for hopefully another dominant season.

  • Taijuan Walker

    Walker comes to Philly from the NY Mets via free agency, and is one of the more underrated offseason acquisitions in all of baseball.

  • Bailey Falter

    With Ranger Suarez’s injury setback, Falter is set to slot into the 4th spot in the rotation to start the season.

  • Matt Strahm

    Strahm, who was signed this offseason as a bullpen piece, will be forced into the 5th starter role due to the Suarez injury. The last time he was a bona fide starter was with the San Diego Padres back in 2019.

  • The Bullpen:

  • Seranthony Dominguez

    Armed with a contract extension, Dominguez has a chance to be the team’s set closer this season.

  • Gregory Soto

    Soto is probably the other guy in contention for the closer role this season after the Phillies traded for him from the Detroit Tigers.

  • Jose Alvarado

    Also extended this offseason, Alvarado looks to build on an outstanding 2022 campaign.

  • Craig Kimbrel

    The long time closer may not close for the Phillies, but he’s still a more than serviceable bullpen arm.

  • Connor Brogdon

    Brogdon is back, and this year he has a mustache. Can’t have a bad year with a mustache.

  • Andrew Bellatti

    Bellatti was the breakout bullpen arm of 2022, and has now solidified his roster spot for 2023.

  • Yunior Marte

    Marte was acquired this offseason from the San Francisco Giants, and he will be pushed into a bullpen role, at least until the starting rotation turns to strength.

  • Andrew Vasquez

    Vasquez is unproven, but had a solid spring and showed off some good stuff. He’s the least proven of this year’s staff.

Dylan MacKinnon is The Digital Content Coordinator For 97.5 The Fanatic. he has been an Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, and Flyers fan his whole life. He graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelors in Journalism. Dylan has worked at the Fanatic since 2016, starting as an Intern, moving to the Street team, and eventually was hired as an Associate Producer before settling into his current role in the Digital Department. You may hear him referred to on-air as "The D-Train."

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