So Castellanos, a designated hitter and not an outfielder for one night, had a light approach.
“If I’m out there having fun and making someone laugh and get some work done at the same time,” Castellanos said, “that’s positive.”
It will be difficult. The Phillies aren’t chasing anyone. Trying to maintain the best pace in baseball while making compromises is a different kind of pressure. Harper, sidelined with a low-grade strain in his left hamstring, is the Stars’ star. Schwarber, who has a mild back strain, is the soul of the team. Both of them escaped serious injury and could return in two weeks.
“Obviously,” Harper said, “I think nothing could possibly be worse than this, right?”
Teammates echoed Harper’s sentiments. Their job: to maintain and move forward the standard set by the experienced group. Or, in Harper’s words: “Cowboys get up and play the game.” It’s Pollyannaish, but the Phillies have embodied that sentiment for half of this season. Now, they’ll have to do it with Bryson Stotts batting leadoff, Brandon Marsh as a cleanup hitter, and a platoon of guys all over the field. it’s a challenge.
“Did I go home and focus on that and think the world was ending? No,” Castellanos said. “Am I worried? Did I wake up and think, like, ‘Man, I wonder what the results of the MRI will be?’ Sure. Was that the first question I asked when I came here? Sure. But is my day going to change whether it’s grade 1 or grade 3? No.”
Some people’s days have changed as a result of injuries. Cody Clemens and Johan Rojas flew in from North Carolina on Friday afternoon and arrived in prime locations to see their names called in the starting lineup on Friday night. Clemens will be the first baseman most days. Rojas, after 10 days in the Minors, is back in center field.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson said, “If he’s here, he’ll be playing most of the time.”
Johan Rojas pointed to the dugout after doubling in the eighth inning. (Bill Streicher/USA TODAY)
Rojas scored key runs with his legs in Friday’s 2-0 win over the Miami Marlins. He started the eighth inning with a strong double. He went to third on a wild pitch, then scored on a sacrifice fly.
The Phillies were pleased with his work in the minors.
“He did everything we wanted him to do,” Thomson said. “Watch the pitches, trouble the batsmen, use the field. Use speed games with bunting. He cut the swing. He did all that. So he has proven to us that he has the ability to be able to do that and he has the physical capabilities to do that. Hopefully, this will continue here as well.”
The Phillies have won 25 consecutive games in which their starter has pitched seven innings. After Harper and Schwarber went on the injured list on Friday, Christopher Sanchez made everything better by throwing a 101-pitch shutout. They will rely on pitching and defense once the lineup is depleted. Thomson will take more chances; The Phillies attempted three steals from second base on Friday with two outs. Harper, Schwarber and JT Realmuto, who is still recovering from knee surgery, have accounted for 45 percent of the club’s home runs this season.
“I think we may have to build some things in the near future,” Thomson said.
Christopher Sanchez reacts after throwing his first career shutout. He dropped his ERA to 2.41. (Bill Streicher/USA TODAY)
Thomson said there is “a good chance” Harper and Schwarber will return before the All-Star break, which begins on July 15. They are eligible to return on July 9. The Phillies would begin a series with the Los Angeles Dodgers that night. Then he has three against the Oakland Athletics.
It’s guaranteed: Neither Harper nor Schwarber will be on the field for next weekend’s anticipated series against the second-place Atlanta Braves. According to team sources, both players opted against IL placement so they could be available for that Braves series. The Phillies may have played short by a week. Instead, he decided to take a more conservative route.
“I never really put a timetable on myself or anything like that,” Harper said. “So, obviously, you guys know I’m going to try to come back and keep my body as healthy as I can. The best way I know how. The fastest way possible.”
Harper has National League MVP aspirations. He doesn’t want to miss the action. Thomson compared his hamstring strain to Marsh’s. He missed 12 days, including a two-day rehabilitation period in the minors. Harper will not go to minor-league rehab. So, a minimum stay of 10 days is possible.
The Phillies are trying to strike a difficult balance. They want to win as many games as possible. They also know that nothing else matters except what happens in October. That’s why Traya Turner, who has been medically cleared and is considered 100 percent healthy by the team, is looking tentative on base since returning from a six-week hamstring injury.
“I think he’s being smart with the way he’s running,” Thomson said. “When he needs to burn gas, he does that.”
The team took the same approach with JT Realmuto, who could play despite a small tear in his right meniscus but now had knee surgery earlier this month to repair it. Realmuto is still trending for a comeback so soon after the All-Star break.
That means, until then, the Phillies need contributions from others. Castellanos is one of those who have performed poorly. The Phillies have lost three experienced leaders on the field. He can change the narrative of their season by performing on and off the field whenever the Phillies need him.
“I don’t think that just because circumstances suddenly change, like, now I need to go and find out more,” Castellanos said. “I think I’ve done a pretty good job of staying consistent and staying at the same level. Not turning around when things aren’t going my way personally. And don’t get over-excited when we’re firing on all cylinders. So, for me, I just want to continue my race. And, obviously, if anyone has a question, they always know I’m going to answer them straight away.
The Phillies are confident that the standard they have created inside the clubhouse is genuine. When call-ups enter they know the expectations. Thomson is transparent with them about roles and upcoming lineup decisions. Schwarber is an extension of the manager inside the clubhouse. Schwarber and Harper will travel with the team to Chicago and Atlanta next week. Realmuto is expected to join them.
They will just be there as support. Everything the Phillies have talked about on this thing will be put to the test.
“It speaks to the depth of what we have,” Castellanos said. “And, again, we have a great winning culture here where everyone focuses on the big picture. I just think that sets a recipe for success.”
(Top photo of Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott: Nick Antaya/Getty Images)
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