Phillies avoid the worst with Harrison Bader, who could potentially be available for NLDS Game 2
PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies woke up after a nightmare of a National League Division Series opener and got some relatively positive news about their starting center fielder on Sunday morning. Harrison Bader, who exited Philadelphia’s Game 1 loss on Saturday with groin tightness, avoided total disaster.
Imaging revealed that Bader did not suffer a major tear or strain, Phillies manager Rob Thomson told reporters via Zoom. He could potentially be available for Game 2, but nothing will be certain until Bader reports to Citizens Bank Park on Monday.
“We’ll know more tomorrow,” Thomson said. “But I think after the game, they stretched him out, they got him moving around a little bit and I think he felt a lot better after that. We’ll know whether he’s available to start or at least to pinch hit. We’ll know more tomorrow.”
Bader, who had a sacrifice fly and made an incredible diving catch in the right-center gap, was removed in the seventh inning in favor of Nick Castellanos after hurting his groin running from first base to second base in the fifth. Bader considered it the best call to leave the game in order to prevent further injury, but he still expressed confidence on Saturday night that he could return in the NLDS.
“This is kind of the point in the season where you just empty the tank,” Bader said.
If Bader cannot go in Game 2, Brandon Marsh would likely be the starting center fielder against left-hander Blake Snell and Los Angeles. Max Kepler, who finished Saturday’s game in center after Edmundo Sosa pinch hit for Marsh against reliever Alex Vesia in the eighth, could slide over to the position if the Phillies need to sub out Marsh versus a lefty in the late innings again.
None of that would be ideal for Philadelphia. The club has largely hid Marsh, who has a career .581 OPS against left-handed pitchers, against lefties, as Bader’s arrival at the trade deadline allowed the Phillies to run platoons in the corners. Additionally, Marsh is a stronger defender in left field than in center, but the team does not have another player with meaningful experience in center field this season aside from Marsh and Bader.
The batting order and defensive alignment both look much stronger when Bader is out there for the Phillies. He hit .305 in 50 games after arriving in Philadelphia, has a stellar glove and brings energy and confidence that has rubbed off on his new teammates. Even a compromised Bader could be helpful in Game 2, just for the fact that he’s a right-handed bat. Nobody really hit Snell when he was on the mound this season as he posted a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts, but righties had a .633 OPS against the two-time Cy Young Award winner compared to the .582 OPS that lefties put up.
The presence of Bader could make a difference, but the Phillies will need to be ready for the pivotal Game 2 of this best-of-five series no matter what. They’re already in a hole after dropping Game 1 against a star-heavy Dodgers team, so it will be crucial for Philadelphia to leave home with a win and prevent going down 2-0 in the NLDS.
“We had some chances,” Thomson said of Game 1. “It’s what it is. I think it’s just kind of the ebbs and flows of the game, and we got to come out here tomorrow night and play well.”