JUST IN: Alec Bohm speaks after getting bumped from the lineup in Game 2
If Alec Bohm knew exactly what was behind his struggles at the plate, he wouldn’t be making outs.
There was a time this season when Bohm was as hard of an out as it gets. In an 18-game span from April 16 to May 5, Bohm collected 32 hits, was on base in 50 percent of his at-bats and slugged .754 with a 1.254 OPS. Only Mookie Betts finished April with a higher OPS than Bohm.
It’s been a struggle for Bohm since then. His early-season hot streak led him to his first All-Star selection and an opportunity to hit in the Home Run Derby, but he has not come close to resembling the hitter he was in the first few months of the season. He is prone to showing his frustration in the moment by throwing his helmet to the ground after outs.
Through the struggles, the Phillies have trusted Bohm. He has been a mainstay at third base because his defense has greatly improved. The bat has been less consistent. For whatever reason, Game 1 was considered a breaking point for the Phillies.
After Bohm went 0-for-4 on seven pitches in the opener against the Mets, Rob Thomson took his starting third baseman out and replaced him with Edmundo Sosa to infuse energy into the lineup just two games into the postseason.
Sosa went 0-for-2 with a throwing error and was taken out of the game for Bohm in the seventh, but the Phillies created their own energy with back-to-back home runs from Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos, a two-run triple by Bryson Stott and a walk-off base hit from Castellanos.
Bohm will start in Game 3 against the left-hander Sean Manaea,
Thomson confirmed on Monday afternoon.
“I’ve already passed that,” Bohm said when asked about not being in the lineup for Game 2. “It’s not about me, it’s about winning baseball games. I’ve already forgotten about all that.”
Like most struggling hitters, Bohm believes he is close. In his first at-bat against Mets pitcher Jose Butto in the seventh, he swung at a high-and-inside slider and popped it straight up. He does have the ability to turn on pitches in on his hands and hit them out of the ballpark, but it just hasn’t been there.
“Sometimes this game is unforgiving,” Bohm said. “I think the only thing I can do is keep going up there, keep putting my best foot forward and play the best defense that I can. Eventually, I’m gonna get there.
I’m gonna start hitting, and it’s gonna come soon.”
For Bohm, putting this all behind him is a little easier knowing that the series is tied 1-1 and the bats have battled through an intense 14-inning slump that could have ended their season.
“Obviously, it would have been even more crushing to not be out there and lose the game, but you know, like I said, it’s not about me, it’s about the Phillies winning baseball games,” Bohm said.
And when it comes to his outward display of frustration, the timing of it all makes the situation a little more dire.
“It’s not June, so everybody notices, Bohm said, “oh, this guy is not hitting.”
