The Phillies won their first series of the season as they took two of three from the Reds over the weekend. It was nice to see the Phillies get in the win column twice as they were welcomed back to Citizens Bank Park for the first time since their incredible run to the World Series last October. It was a huge series win considering they dropped the first series of the season to the Texas Rangers and then followed it up with a flat performance in New York.

The Phillies had a busy weekend as they not only had to contend with the Reds, but they also had a lot going on with promotions everyday. Friday was the home opener. Saturday players received awards like the Gold Glove and the Silver Slugger. On Sunday they got their NL Champions ring. So there were a lot of distractions for the team, but they still ended up taking the series. But that doesn’t mean there are not some things to improve upon.

The Phillies enter the away series against the Marlins 3-6 on the year. We have seen it all early on from the Phils. The good, the bad, and the worse. There have been struggles have the pitching, struggles from the plate, and struggles on the base paths. Oh, and the bullpen has fell apart a few times as well.

So lets dive into a few things the Phillies need to improve upon after the first 9 games of the season. This is NOT meant to be an overreaction post. I’m not worried about the team and think they will be able to right the ship. But its not perfect in Phillies land and it can always improve.

Here are 5 things that the Phillies need to improve upon before its too late.

• Base Running Errors Need To Stop

  The Phillies base runners have been running WILD. Sometimes that’s a good thing with aggressiveness paying off. For the Phillies, it hasnt. On Sunday we saw Brandon Marsh get thrown out in between 3rd and home but I put that more on Dusty Wathan, but the fact remains. The Phillies base runners need to be smarter when it comes to being aggressive and being conservative.

• Depth Is A Problem

  Kudos to you if you knew who Jake Cave, Kody Clemens, Christian Pache. Those are the depth pieces that the Phillies are currently working with because they dont have much. Injuries have taken their toll on the team, But offseason moves like Matt Vierling and Nick Maton for Gregory Soto are giving me a bit of revisionist history. The good news is finding MLB depth is easy during trade deadline.

• Bullpen Fatigue

  Andrew Bellatti and Connor Brogdon have pitched a lot already. Its only 9 games into the season but Bellatti has appeared in 6 games. Brogdon has appeared in 5 games. It seems like Thompson has a quick hook with the starters and the first pitcher out of the pen. You are going to need these two in crunch time (September and October). I worry that theyll be worn down at this rate.

• Where Are The Stolen Bases

  The Phillies have 6 stolen bases as a team. They are tied for 13th in MLB in a small sample size. But where are the steals? Trea Turner has ONE stolen base. In a time where the stolen base is UP to only have 6 stolen bases is absurd. Especially considering Turner has led the league in steals twice. He has had opportunities….take off!

• The Wave

  If youre going to a game, dont do it. It screams “bandwagon” culture. “I am so bored by the product that I would rather mimic the ocean! WOOO!”

  Dont be that person.

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