PHILADELPHIA — Entering Saturday’s game against the Rockies, Nick Castellanos had not hit a home run since Aug. 27, 2022. Cristian Pache had only four in his career. The Phillies have not hit many home runs in general, but it’s safe to say few expected a home run from Pache or Castellanos anytime soon.
But this sport has a knack for delivering the unexpected. And in a 4-3 win on Saturday, it was Castellanos and Pache who gave the Phillies three badly needed long balls.
Castellanos gave them not one, but two. In the bottom of the second inning, he took a slider — a pitch against which he was batting .111 this season — and launched it 378 feet to the left-field seats. In the bottom of the sixth inning, he hit another slider for a home run, this one to left center. It was the 10th multi-homer game of Castellanos’ career.
He finished 3 for 4 after hitting a line-drive double in the bottom of the eighth inning. It was an encouraging sign from a player who looked lost at times last season. He saw his slugging percentage sink from .576 in 2021 to .389 in 2022, the second-lowest mark of his career. But he arrived this spring feeling recharged. He started to simplify his approach at the plate, by staying back and letting the ball travel. The results have been immediate.
Castellanos is walking at a career-high rate (11.1%). He isn’t swinging at pitches that fooled him in the past. He’s hitting more doubles (10 through 84 at-bats, to be exact), and is hitting for average, but on Saturday, the raw power started to show. Castellanos says this is not just because of his changed approach. It’s also because he is more comfortable.
“Even if you go back to all of my interviews last year, I’d always say, with me, everything is connected,” he said. “The more I feel at peace with myself, my situation, my surroundings, my environment, the more my natural self is going to be able to come through.
“For me, I learned so many lessons about myself last year that I think make me a more complete adult, not just as a baseball player. And everything that I learned last year could have been just as valuable as the 2021 season I had. Maybe not statistically, but every lesson is valuable.”
Castellanos made hard contact on both of his home runs, but it was Pache’s that traveled the farthest. In the bottom of the third inning, the outfielder hit a two-run home run that traveled 421 feet and landed in the bushes beyond center field. As he rounded first, he pointed his finger to the sky.
He had reason to celebrate. That home run — and the single that followed in the bottom of the fifth — were the results of hard work. Pache’s maximum exit velocity ranked in the 35th percentile in MLB in 2021, and the 45th in MLB in 2022. He has hit .165/.210/.253 for his career. When the Phillies traded for Pache in March, they did so for defense, not his bat.
But nevertheless, they saw upside. They also had faith in their hitting coach. Like Pache, Edmundo Sosa, who was acquired at the trade deadline last year, was known as a defense-first player. But after a few weeks with Kevin Long, he became a totally different hitter. Sosa’s batting average in St. Louis was .189 in 2022. In Philadelphia, he hit .315. In 2023, he’s hitting .316.
Pache was always going to be more of a project for Long. The A’s, who traded Pache to the Phillies in March for pitcher Billy Sullivan, said they “ran out of time” to develop his offensive game. Pache’s ground ball rate was 50% in 2020, and steadily increased, to 55% in 2021 and 58% in 2022.
Long quickly realized why. Pache was leaning forward at the plate, causing his bat path to veer down. He encouraged the center fielder to stay back, use his hips and lower body more, and keep his head still, so he could better see the pitches he faced.
The results weren’t immediate, but they showed on Saturday.
Cristopher Sánchez makes his 2023 debut
After suffering a left triceps strain that caused him to take a three-week rehab assignment in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, left-handed pitcher Cristopher Sánchez made his season debut on Saturday. He got ahead of hitters early but hit some bumps as his outing went on. Overall, though, Sánchez gave the Phillies what they needed. He allowed five hits, three runs, and two walks with five strikeouts through 4 1/3 innings. His five strikeouts were the second most in a start in his career. Sánchez was held to an 80-85 pitch count, so Thomson pulled him at 73.
Another good day for the bullpen
The Phillies’ relief corps — Connor Brogdon, Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez, and Craig Kimbrel did not allow a run or walk through their 4 2/3 innings. They allowed just three hits and collectively struck out six.
Kimbrel earned the save in the ninth, the second of his season and the 396th of his career. His velocity was up slightly; he topped out at 96.1 mph.
“His stuff is really good,” Thomson said of Kimbrel. “He’s really pounding the zone, and the breaking ball is just filthy. Soto was incredible. Seranthony did a great job. This was his first time going back to back in a bit. And he held his velocity, held the strike zone. I thought he was great, too.”
