Rhys Hoskins returned from the IL during the finale of the San Diego Padres series. The slugging first baseman made his presence known.
He hit 2 home runs in his first game back. Mysteriously, Hoskins sat for the first game of the Tampa Bay Rays series. Many people questioned Joe Girardi’s decision to not start him. That especially rang true after Hoskins hit a clutch game-tying homer on Wednesday night.
Now, we have an idea why Hoskins didn’t start game 1 of the series.
Apparently, Rhys’ groin wasn’t as healed as anyone thought. Now, Hoskins is back on the IL. The Phillies’ offense now feels hapless as the team’s span without Hoskins was one of the worst in team history.
In his 2 games back starting, Hoskins went 3-8 with 3 home runs. The Phillies, whose starting pitching had just started to become a strength, now are losing their cornerstone of the offense.
When Rhys was on the IL the first time, Bryce Harper only hit .209 but with a .991 OPS. Pitchers had no reason to give the MVP candidate a pitch to hit. Regardless, he got on base, and when he hit it was with power. Without Hoskins, no one is around to protect Harper.
Bryce already tried to rally the troops after the first Rays loss.
Now, Bryce rallying the troops might be the only hope for the Phillies. The Braves are 5 games ahead in the division. the Reds are 5 games ahead in the Wild Card. Meanwhile, the Phillies playoff hopes are slipping away faster than a stick of butter going down a metal slide on a 100-degree day.
Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire
