The Phillies look to get back on track as the Chicago Cubs visit Philadelphia.
Things seem all too familiar for the Phillies. The starting rotation is performing as expected; they are one of the most dominant in baseball. Yet, the offense continues to sputter, scoring runs in a single inning per game.
The offensive issues may be systemic. The book on the Phillies offense has been to use fastballs sparingly and give them offspeed pitches.
The Phillies’ best changeup hitter is, believe it or not, Alec Bohm, who boasts a .333 average against changeups. The next best is Trea Turner with an unimpressive .200.
Fortunately, of the pitchers the Phillies will see against the Cubs, only a few throw changeups, and even fewer that throw one that is above average. Javier Assad and Ben Brown are the only two pitchers that throw changeups with a stuff+ over 100 (per FanGraphs).
The Cubs are suffering from injuries that have ravaged their pitching depth. It is imperative that the Phillies get their offense back on track in this series.
Cristopher Sanchez will get the Game 1 start, giving the Phillies a strong opportunity to get a win. Javier Assad will be the Cubs’ starter for Game 1.
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