Matt Gelb

Ever since the drafted with the third overall pick in 2018, he’s always looked capable of something greater. The Phillies scouted him at Wichita State and believed his advanced approach at the plate could be sustained — even when he added power to his game. He is tall and strong. He could be someone who mixed patience with slugging. Advertisement Maybe, in his fifth season with the Phillies, he’s solved it. Bohm, who entered this week batting .365/.441/.615, is the hottest hitter in the sport…

The won 19 of their first 30 games, a feat accomplished by the franchise 12 times since 1900. It doesn’t happen often. And, in 2024, much of the fast 30-game start was thanks to a pitching staff that topped the National League in ERA. Stock Up He’s pitched into the eighth inning in each of his past three starts, which is even more impressive considering one pitcher — — did that in all of 2023. The last Phillies pitcher to do it? Cole Hamels in 2015. Advertisement So, the Phillies wanted Nola…

Every so often, when Ty McDevitt hit the showcase circuit to recruit pitchers for the University of Minnesota, he’d see this gangly right-handed pitcher from a small town in Wisconsin. The Gophers’ pitching coach was not sure what to make of . “I described him as a cannon out of a canoe,” McDevitt said. Klassen could not repeat his delivery. The rest of his body could not harness the power in his arm. He didn’t know where the ball was going. Advertisement But the arm was something. “I’ve told ev…

PHILADELPHIA — It is difficult to score from second base on a walk, but makes baseball look simple. It is his gift. It’s why his smooth slides are GIFs. It is why he sees a ball skip by a catcher and notices that no one is reacting as if Turner is on base — ready to pounce. “I was saying don’t do it,” said. “But it’s Trea.” Advertisement “I didn’t expect him to go,” said. “I don’t think they really did either. And that’s kind of the player he is.” Turner ran hard to third, then kept running i…

PHILADELPHIA — knew. He acknowledged he did a decent job of fooling everyone in the moment, but 30 minutes after a win that cost Turner at least six weeks, it was harder to hide his concern. Rob Thomson found Turner in the Phillies’ clubhouse and put his hand on his shortstop’s shoulder. A few teammates reassured Turner. Advertisement That’s when they all knew. Turner faced a significant absence with a strained hamstring. “It could have been a lot worse than it was,” Turner said Saturday, two…

PHILADELPHIA — Rob Thomson clapped his hands together Sunday night before he asked for the baseball from . No fifth starter in baseball commands attention like Walker does, so the mistakes are magnified. Thomson again pushed Walker into the seventh inning and, for the second time in two starts, Walker surrendered a home run. Advertisement The are 2-0 in those games. “I really wanted to finish that one, especially after the last start,” Walker said following a 5-4 Phillies win over the . “I real…

PHILADELPHIA — There is a fog machine that rests in a vacant locker adjacent to ’s, and for the past few years, the ace has controlled the postgame mist. It’s a silly thing that Wheeler embraced. But, sometime before this season, the thing broke. The had to celebrate in April without it. They managed. Advertisement But it didn’t feel right. So, bought a new machine. He stocked Wheeler with large jugs of fog juice. And Wheeler, a stone-faced pitcher who would never want anyone to know he is hav…

PHILADELPHIA — The bat died in the eighth inning, and it was a hero. It was maple, made by Chandler, with ’s signature on it. Harper gifted it to this week because, sometime last year, Clemens decided he liked swinging Harper’s bats. The reserve infielder with a famous baseball name ordered more for himself. Advertisement But it’s always better when they come from Harper. “Bryce, you know, he’s got unlimited bats,” Clemens said. “So, it’s good that he likes me.” They love each other in the clu…

PHILADELPHIA — The mustered one hit in the first six innings of Wednesday afternoon’s loss, and the whole thing looked a little boring. No one could fault the team with the best record in baseball for sleepwalking one day. Then, in the eighth inning, grounded out. He yelled. He flung his bat at the Phillies dugout. It sent some players and coaches scrambling. Advertisement There is no such thing as complacency in May — no matter how good the team’s record is. The Phillies (26-12) accomplished…

No one has benefited from the Phillies’ first-inning bonanza like . Almost half (14) of his 32 RBIs have come in the first inning of games. That’s life as the cleanup hitter on the team that starts better than any other in baseball. So, it was entertaining to see Bohm have a different perspective in the first inning of Sunday’s eventual 10-inning loss to the . Bohm batted second for the first time all season. struck out to begin the game, then Bohm attacked a first-pitch slider and socked it to…