Braves 15, Phillies 5: Nick Castellanos shows he’s ‘in a good spot’ with homer to right-center

CLEARWATER, Fla. — It wasn’t so much where the ball landed (over the fence) that had Nick Castellanos feeling so satisfied with his at-bat in the first inning Tuesday.

It was the process that led to it.

Castellanos worked a 3-1 count against Braves starter Bryce Elder before getting an elevated fastball on the inner half of the plate. Rather than getting overly aggressive and hooking it foul, as he would’ve done last season, he stayed with the pitch and hit it out to right-center field.

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“That’s a real indication,” Castellanos said after the Phillies’ 15-5 loss, “that Nick’s in a good spot.”

There are others. Manager Rob Thomson noted that Castellanos has worked seven walks in 10 games. He drew a total of 29 walks all of last season.

“That tells me one thing: that he’s seeing the ball,” Thomson said. “He’s not jumping.”

The Phillies are banking on a bounceback season from Castellanos, especially with Bryce Harper expected to be sidelined for most of the season’s first half while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery. Castellanos’ struggles last year, after signing a five-year, $100 million contract, have been well-documented.

Castellanos has worked with hitting coach Kevin Long on moving closer to the plate and forward in the batter’s box. If that leads to more walks, it will be a bonus. But Castellanos has always viewed his production based on slugging rather than getting on base.

“It’s that happy balance of doing less but still being ready to take an aggresisve swing,” he said. “I’m a swing-first guy. I have been my entire career, from the minor leagues up. It’s no secret that I can handle a pitch over the plate if I’m in sync, if I’m me. So, it’s finding that balance of being ready to hit with hitting your pitch.”

On the mound: Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez gave up three runs before recording an out and four first-inning runs overall in his first Grapefruit League start. Injuries to Ranger Suárez (forearm) and Andrew Painter (elbow) have created an opportunity for Sánchez to win a spot in the rotation. But he’s been slowed by a back issue in spring training. Although the Phillies have talked about potentially moving him to the bullpen, they’re committed to stretching him out as a starter, according to Thomson.

What stood out: Scott Kingery punctuated an eight-pitch at-bat by punching a full-count pitch to center field for a single in the seventh inning, then added a hustle double in the ninth. He’s 12-for-23 (.522). ... Infielder Edmundo Sosa started in center field for the second time this spring, and, well, it was another adventure. Sosa is learning everything about the position, including taking better routes to balls. ... Hard-throwing right-hander Yunior Marté continued to impress with a scoreless inning. Thomson said the Phillies will try to get Marté, Matt Strahm, and perhaps Connor Brogdon stretched out to pitch more than one inning.

Quotable: “We’re still building him up. I thought he was up in the zone early, and then he settled in. He started off a little slow, and then finished strong.” — Thomson on Sánchez’s first-inning struggle

On deck: Aaron Nola will get his fourth Grapefruit League start at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday against the Yankees in Tampa, Fla. Although Thomson hasn’t named an opening-day starter, Nola is lined up to start his sixth consecutive opener for the Phillies.

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