The first 4 games of the Phillies season have not gone well. It is deja vu with a 3rd straight slow start. After spending all off-season talking about the importance of a fast start, they fell on their face out of the gate. The Braves embarrassed them in games 1 and 2. Then we saw Connor Brogdon blow up against the Reds, allowing an extra innings Grand Slam.

Obviously, it is frustrating. After all the hype, it sucks to see them start slow. It is only 4 games though. They started like this the past two years too, and they still made deep playoff runs. Things are going to be okay. You don’t hit the panic button in the first week, or even the first month. We went through this before, you think people would have learned a lesson from that?

That is not the case. Even after the first loss, there was a clear sense of panic on Phillies’ Twitter. People were worried about the bullpen, the bats, and Rob Thomson. I saw some people saying that the Phillies were going to be like the 2023 Eagles. AFTER ONE GAME!

So let’s all take a step back, and relax. The sky is not falling. This team is still very talented. They just tripped out of the gates. It happens. Breathe in, breathe out, and calm down. 4 games does not a season make. Like Andrew Salciunas wrote before the season, it is a marathon, not a sprint. Things will be okay.

Also, believe it or not, there are some good takeaways from the first 4 games. Amidst the embarrassing losses, there are silver linings that give us a reason to be excited going forward—individuals who stepped up or showed growth despite the team losing. It is not all bad in Phillies land.

Here are 7 Positive Takeaways From The Phillies Otherwise Poor Start:

• Slimmed Down Kyle Schwarber

  If you watched Spring training, you already knew this, but Kyle Schwarber looks slimmed down. And we saw that pay off a bit in the first few games. He moves so much better on the bases this season. At times last year, he moved like a penguin, waddling slowly around the bases.

  He is still no speed demon. But we saw him be an effective base runner a few times. Including stealing 3rd base in 1 game. He is also putting the ball in play more, albiet in a small sample size. In 4 games he has 4 singles. It took him 10 games to get that last season. He was also only whiffed on 20% of his swings, which is above league average. That number was over 30% last season.

  That part might just be the small sample size. But the slimmed-down and moving better on the basepaths thing is real. He is still no speed demon. They even pinch ran for him on Monday night in a move that wound up backfiring. But he is less of a liability on the basepaths.

  Mike Kurland on Twitter: "#Phillies Kyle Schwarber had 0 stolen bases last year. He was 0-2 on attempts He already stole his 1st base of the season in a double steal. He stole 3rd base at that. pic.twitter.com/eCalYZVDJH / Twitter"

  Phillies Kyle Schwarber had 0 stolen bases last year. He was 0-2 on attempts He already stole his 1st base of the season in a double steal. He stole 3rd base at that. pic.twitter.com/eCalYZVDJH

• Cristopher Sanchez Picking Up Where He Left Off

  There was some concern about Sanchez’s struggles in Spring Training. Clearly, that was not a real concern. His stuff looked nasty in Monday night’s loss to the Reds. He struck out 8 guys in 5 innings off work. The wheels came off a bit in the 6th inning. But he settled in nicely in innings 3, 4, and 5. He was mowing Reds hitters down, with a filthy changeup and slider. if he has stuff like that this season, they are going to have the best 1-2-3-4 in baseball.

  Rob Friedman on Twitter: "Cristopher Sanchez's Stuff is Dirty.K'ing the Side pic.twitter.com/dcu5hq1BZ9 / Twitter"

  Cristopher Sanchez's Stuff is Dirty.K'ing the Side pic.twitter.com/dcu5hq1BZ9

• J.T. Realmuto Is Making Hard Contact

  JT Realmuto had a down year last season. We came to learn that there was a massive hole in his swing, that pitchers were taking advantage of. The Phillies reworked his swing and stance this offseason. So far, so good.

  The production itself is decent. He hit 1 HR and has 4 hits over 14 at-bats. But they might not tell the full story. His Hart Hit % and Barrel Rate are both up 10% from last season. At least in this small sample size, he is making good contact more often.

  MLB on Twitter: "Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox are loving J.T. Realmuto's first homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/EE8Otovp60 / Twitter"

  Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox are loving J.T. Realmuto's first homer of the season! pic.twitter.com/EE8Otovp60

• SerAnthony Dominguez's Stuff Looks Better

  Put the results aside. His ERA and WHIP are terrible through 2 outings. But look deeper, watch his stuff, and there is reason to be hopeful he will be better this season. It looked like hit had better movement than last year. He was placing it better. In 1.2 innings he struck out 4 batters and walked none. Those are all good signs for Seranthony. He just needs to turn that growth into better results. I think we will see that from him as the season goes on.

  Bob Wankel on Twitter: "I still think Seranthony Domínguez puts together a nice year. It was a weird weekend for him. Allows 5 hits in 1.2 IP but also struck out four and walked none. Just has to find some better pitch to pitch consistency. It's in him. pic.twitter.com/BTKCmTOOGx / Twitter"

  I still think Seranthony Domínguez puts together a nice year. It was a weird weekend for him. Allows 5 hits in 1.2 IP but also struck out four and walked none. Just has to find some better pitch to pitch consistency. It's in him. pic.twitter.com/BTKCmTOOGx

• Yunior Marte May Have Figured Something Out

  There is one guy in the bullpen who has gotten great results, Yunior Marte. We knew he had decent stuff. There were times last season when he looked good. The consistency just wasn’t there. But at least top open up this season, it is. He has pitched 3 innings and gave up 0 earned runs.

  He is generating more swings and misses, and the contact he has allowed has all been weak. His ground ball rate is up to 62.5%. Again small sample size. But if people can freak out over 4 games, then we can also give them credit for the good things that happen in that time.

  Corey Seidman on Twitter: "1-2-3 eighth inning in a tie game from Yunior Marte. Phillies used Jeff Hoffman earlier and Seranthony Dominguez on Saturday and Sunday, so they needed Marte in a high-leverage spot tonight against a righty-heavy Reds lineup. / Twitter"

  1-2-3 eighth inning in a tie game from Yunior Marte. Phillies used Jeff Hoffman earlier and Seranthony Dominguez on Saturday and Sunday, so they needed Marte in a high-leverage spot tonight against a righty-heavy Reds lineup.

• Wheeler As Dominant As Ever

  This one isn’t a surprise, or anything new, but it was still good to see Wheeler is still as good as ever. He was mowing the Braves down before getting pulled on Opening Day. 6 scoreless innings. The starting rotation in general, aside from Nola, has been great. Ranger Suarez gave up 3 runs but looked great otherwise. That is going to be a strength for the Phillies.

  John Clark on Twitter: "Zack Wheeler went six scoreless innings with five strikeouts against the Braves in his first ever opening day start pic.twitter.com/HWvowHpIUj / Twitter"

  Zack Wheeler went six scoreless innings with five strikeouts against the Braves in his first ever opening day start pic.twitter.com/HWvowHpIUj

   

• Alec Bohm Is Out To A Great Start

  Bohm still looks like Mr.Reliable with RISP. He already has 4 RBIs and is 2 for 3 with runners in scoring position. The only negative for him was that he didn’t make a fairly tough play on a weak ground ball. But while I do think that should have counted as an error, it was still a tough play. Not really anything worth being upset at him for. He has been their best hitter in the early going.

  Phillies Tailgate on Twitter: "Alec Bohm's 2-Run Double puts the Phillies ahead 2 to 0! We're off to the second inning at CBP. pic.twitter.com/NWlr8nuBVh / Twitter"

  Alec Bohm's 2-Run Double puts the Phillies ahead 2 to 0! We're off to the second inning at CBP. pic.twitter.com/NWlr8nuBVh

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