After Game 5 in Philadelphia, I asked J.T. Realmuto about the Phillies’ sputtering offense, particularly with runners in scoring position: “We’re striking out more than we normally would in these situations,” he said, “and that’s a testament to how good their pitchers are.”
The Phillies have had only one at-bat so far with a runner in scoring position (Edmundo Sosa flied out to the wall in left-center), but they’re still striking out — a lot. They’ve struck out five times in the first three innings against Framber Valdez, including four times looking. Ruben Amaro Jr., their former general manager, tweeted that it was “embarrassing” to see the Phillies take fastballs down the middle.