‘We need to make it happen’: Missed opportunities sink the Phillies to 4-9 with a 6-2 loss to the Reds

CINCINNATI — Not 30 minutes after the Phillies lost their third game in a row, manager Rob Thomson walked through a quiet clubhouse Thursday night and spotted Nick Castellanos seated at his locker.

“Going to show up again tomorrow?” Thomson said, smirking and extending his fist.

As if the Phillies have a choice.

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This isn’t how the National League champs planned to begin their defense of the pennant. In what’s becoming a disturbing theme, they didn’t get a big hit early against a shaky starting pitcher or late against a collection of relievers. They bowed to the Reds, 6-2, and slid to 4-9, their worst 13-game start since the 99-loss 2015 season.

All together now: Woof.

“I think we expect a lot out of ourselves and felt like we could do better and left a little bit out there,” shortstop Trea Turner said. “I think you’ve got to ask yourselves why that is.”

To be fair, the game boiled down to a handful of pitches. If, for instance, Phillies starter Bailey Falter gets Spencer Steer to whiff at a two-strike, two-out changeup rather than foul it off, the Reds’ three-run third inning never happens.

But the Phillies went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. They left nine men on base, including three in the second inning when Kyle Schwarber got a 94-mph fastball over the middle of the plate from tough Reds left-hander Nick Lodolo and scorched a rally-killing grounder to first.

It happens. And yes, it’s early. Lately, though, it’s happening too much to the Phillies, 4-for-31 with runners in scoring position in the last three games and 29-for-119 overall, including a 9-for-19 explosion in Monday night’s 15-3 rout at home against the Marlins.

“Ebbs and flows,” Thomson said. “We’re in a little bit of a down swell right now, but it’ll change.”

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Probably. But Bryce Harper is still several weeks from returning from Tommy John elbow surgery. Rhys Hoskins is out for the season after tearing a knee ligament late in spring training. In some ways, the Phillies are recalibrating their offense on the fly.

Thomson is trying to find the right batting-order combinations. Turner began the season in the leadoff spot. Bryson Stott, who extended his season-opening hitting streak to 13 games with a ninth-inning bunt single, is hitting there now and probably for at least the next week or so. J.T. Realmuto is 9-for-44; Schwarber is 10-for-51.

It’s going to take time. Turner, for one, would rather not wait around.

“We need to make it happen,” he said. “Don’t think, ‘The next guy’s got it; the next guy’s got it.’ It’s your turn. I think a little bit of that mentality would help. I think that chemistry has to come together, but it’s our job to do it quickly. You don’t need to wait around. It’s not a month- or two-month thing. It’s on us to do it.”

The Phillies had Lodolo on the ropes in the first two innings and scored a total of one run. They got a leadoff double from Edmundo Sosa in the fourth and didn’t score. Schwarber homered in the fifth inning, but Alec Bohm grounded into a rally-halting double play.

And that’s how it went, fits and starts, right up through the ninth inning when Turner struck out with two runners on base against Reds closer Alexis Díaz.

Rinse, repeat.

Still, Turner sees positive signs. Before the game, he was talking to hitting coach Kevin Long, who noted that the Phillies were batting .282 with 118 hits, their highest 12-game total since 2011. They’re just not coming at opportune times.

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“It’s got to happen organically, and it will,” Turner said. “We’ve got a lot of good players. We’re going to figure it out for sure. It’s on us to get it going. Some numbers are really good. There’s a lot of positives. We’ve just got to start winning ballgames, get the ball going, and get that momentum.”

Falter gave up three runs on four consecutive two-out singles in the third inning.

But he easily could’ve allowed nothing.

Falter got to a two-strike count against Steer but couldn’t put him away with either his fastball or changeup. Steer fouled off both pitches, then singled to left field to drive in the go-ahead run.

“That’s one of my biggest things — 1-2, 0-2, I can get you there. Just we’re still trying to find that out-pitch,” Falter said. “I feel like that inning just got away from me a little bit.”

One batter later, Stuart Fairchild laid off a curveball in the dirt and hit a changeup to left field. Tyler Stephenson and Wil Myers followed with RBI singles, and the Reds had a 4-1 edge.

Two innings too late, Schwarber did get to Lodolo — in a way that no other left-handed hitter has against the Reds lefty.

Schwarber slammed the first homer by a lefty in Lodolo’s 22-start major league career, a 438-foot shot in the fifth inning that nearly hit an advertisement in right-center field.

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