Alec Bohm homers twice to break out of slump as the Phillies beat the Rockies, 9-3
Bohm hit a home run for the first time since Opening Day. He entered Saturday lugging a .433 OPS, and even after his two homers, the third baseman wasn't done.
Kyle Schwarber’s spot in the order wasn’t due up for two more batters, but he was planted on the top step of the dugout anyway.
He’d been standing there since the ball had left Alec Bohm’s bat, and had travelled 368 feet to land among the left field seats. Schwarber — along with every other Phillies player — was waiting for Bohm to finish the trot around the bases for the first time since Opening Day to congratulate him.
“You could say relief,” Bohm said. “Just happiness.”
Bohm had spent the previous two days on the bench, as interim manager Don Mattingly wanted to give him a chance to reset as he searched for a way out of the deepest slump of his career. The third baseman entered Saturday’s 9-3 win over the Rockies lugging a .433 OPS.
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When he left the park that night, after knocking two homers and a double, it was up to .504. A start.
“That was awesome, man,” starting pitcher Aaron Nola said. “We know what Bohm can do. We know how hard he works at his craft and what kind of hitter he is. Sometimes, as players, we go through some slumps, and just gotta keep on working and and try to get out of them. And he did today.”
Bohm’s teammates were there to celebrate him again the next inning, when he homered for the second time in as many at-bats. After his double in the eighth, he finished with four RBIs.
During his time off, Bohm focused on his stride length, which he said helped him find success during his All-Star season in 2024. He didn’t touch a bat for an entire day at the suggestion of Mattingly and then got back to work in the cages on Friday.
Both Bohm’s homers were to the pull-side off Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland.
“If you were gonna draw it up, that’s, I guess, how you would do it,” he said.
Saturday marked the Phillies’ second win of the season against a non-opener lefty starter, and Bohm wasn’t the only right-handed hitter to have a big night. Trea Turner broke out of an 0-for-11 skid in a major way with four singles. Adolis García had two hits, and J.T. Realmuto picked up one.
“It’s really important that our righties are able to be the guys that carry the load against the lefties,” Mattingly said.
Schwarber, a lefty, did contribute as well with a three-run homer against Freeland in the third.
During his own slump, which stretched back to Wednesday, Turner had been taking extra batting practice to try and break out. He estimated he took about 350 swings on Friday.
When it didn’t translate to results in the game, he tried something different on Saturday, and didn’t take batting practice at all.
“I probably took more swings in the last four days than I had in a long, long time,” Turner said. “And then today, I didn’t swing the bat until I got in the game. So it doesn’t make any sense, but I took seven swings today. Literally.”
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This time, the results followed. Of Turner’s four hits, only one was harder than 95 mph, but they all found holes for singles.
“That’s how dumb this game is,” he said wryly.
The overall offensive effort provided a cushion for their pitching staff, which had been taxed over the past two days with consecutive short outings from starters Andrew Painter and Jesús Luzardo.
Nola was lifted with two outs in the fifth for Tim Mayza. He was charged with three runs after Willi Castro hit a solo homer in the second and Kyle Karros hit a two-RBI double in the fourth. Both came on mislocated fastballs.
“Throwing a lot of pitches,” Nola said. “Obviously got to be a little bit more fine with the pitches with the ABS. Just trying to get early outs. I think that’s what it comes down to.”
Mayza, Tanner Banks, Chase Shugart, and Orion Kerkering combined for 4 ⅓ scoreless innings in relief, holding the Rockies without another hit.
There were contributions from all corners of the team. Mattingly pointed to the defense as another positive: Turner and Bryson Stott both made some key plays on the infield. But it was clear that the Phillies felt happiest for Bohm, who had needed a night like Saturday.
The key for him now is to find a way to turn one good game into a string of them.
“Baseball is a hard game,” he said. “It’s a weird game, but I think it reinforces that the things I’m doing, the things I’m working on, are right.”
Bryce Harper was removed from the game in the bottom of the first with a migraine and was replaced with Felix Reyes. Mattingly said he expects Harper to be available on Sunday.
Despite playing only two seasons for the Phillies, Aaron Rowand left his mark. Literally. Twenty years ago Monday, Rowand smashed into the center-field fence and broke bones in his face to make a catch. And if that didn’t instantly boost his popularity with the fan base, his answer four days later to a question about why he would sacrifice his body certainly did. Rowand joins Phillies Extra to reminisce about “The Catch,” his role in helping to change the culture around the Phillies, and a lot more. Watch here.
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