3 Phillies Takeaways From Opening Series Loss to Rangers

A demanding crowd booed as the Philadelphia Phillies left the field after their serries against the Texas Rangers.

The euphoria of a memorable Opening Day and the excitement of Ricky Bottalico's first pitch quickly turned back to the intense scrutiny that now characterizes the modern era of the franchise.

After an offseason filled with unique headlines, all eyes have shifted to Bryce Harper with the expectations of an elite performance that will carry the Phillies to an elusive World Series.

Harper started slowly out of the gates with a 1-for-11 performance in the opening series. 

Accomplished major league hitters don’t lose confidence from a three-game stretch to begin a marathon season.

Harper’s first big game will spike the .091 batting average drastically, but don’t tell the Citizens Bank Park crowd to be patient.

The $330 million man entered the season focused on adjusting his plate approach with better patience and discipline. He stepped to the plate with the bases loaded on Sunday and a chance to bring the Phillies back into the game from a 6-0 deficit. He swung at the first pitch to go down in the count. He later chased strike three on a curveball below the zone. Murmurs of boos circulated through the restless crowd.

Harper played solid defense at first base in the series. He also worked two walks on Sunday.

The two-time MVP is fully conscious of the direction that a demanding fan base is headed. He also knows how easily one big home run will change their tune.

Cristopher Sanchez dominated in six shutout innings on Opening Day, but the rest of the staff followed him up with some costly mistakes.

Phillies pitchers allowed five home runs against the Rangers in the series. Jake Burger took Kyle Backhus deep in the ninth inning to ruin a 5-0 shutout and bring the first game within reach. The 438-foot blast forced Jhoan Duran into the game for the save.

Burger continued his big weekend with a home run off the left field foul pole against Aaron Nola. It was the second homer Nola surrendered.

Brandon Nimmo and Andrew McCutchen took Jesus Luzardo deep to build a commanding 5-0 led in the series finale. The Rangers scored 10 of their 16 runs against the Phillies from the long ball.

Justin Crawford was possibly the most notable bright spot for the Phillies in their opening series. The rookie center fielder drove the first pitch he saw as a major league hitter back up the middle for a base hit. He also singled in his second at-bat on Opening Day.

His most impressive play, however, came in the outfield on Saturday. Crawford chased a fly ball off the bat of Wyatt Langford back to the outfield near Monty’s Angle in the third inning. He leapt and hauled it in for the highlight-reel catch, even despite shaky timing on the jump.

Crawford also regained his footing to prevent the runner at first from tagging.

Langford tested Crawford’s arm on Sunday by shrewdly taking second base on a sacrifice fly to center field.

Crawford finished the weekend 3-for-9. His infield dribbler off MacKenzie Gore in the sixth inning on Sunday was the Phillies’ first hit of the series finale.

While the Phillies consider the rookie their everyday center fielder, Rob Thomson used Otto Kemp to pinch hit for Crawford down by two runs in the 10th inning with the ghost runner on second base. Kemp has better home run potential, but Thomson provided an early indicator of the role he’s planning for Crawford.