Felix Reyes' ‘shot of energy' not enough as Phillies' lefty woes continue originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
When the Phillies called up Felix Reyes on Saturday afternoon, manager Rob Thomson called him a “shot of energy” for the club.
And when the rookie, making his debut, dug into the batter’s box for the first time at Citizens Bank Park, he delivered a shot in more ways than one.
A shot into the right-field seats off nine-time All-Star and former Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale.
A shot on the third pitch he ever saw in the Major Leagues.
But with the way this season has started for the Phillies, it may be easy to understand why that shot was not enough in their 3-1 loss to the Braves.
It is hard to wash away the moment, though.
It was an electric sequence at the yard. Reyes got a huge cheer from a sold-out Saturday crowd as he rounded the bases, another when he neared the Phillies’ dugout and then a standing ovation — plus a tip of the cap — when he jogged back out to left field. He even lost his helmet celebrating between first and second.
Reyes said the whole thing still did not feel real.
“I still feel like I’m sleeping,” he said. “It’s a dream come true.”
He was hunting for a fastball in a 2-0 count and got one in a spot he could handle.
“At that point, 2-0, I’m looking for a fastball,” Reyes said. “Luckily he got it in a spot where I could do some damage with it.”
And the fact that it came against Sale only added to it.
“We all know who he is,” Reyes said. “Hall of Fame, for sure.”
And still, Atlanta found a way to spoil the moment. And in doing so, it continued a theme the Phillies have run into over and over again to begin the season:
Struggles against left-handed starters.
The Phillies ran into a tough customer in Sale. He is once again looking like himself, even at 37 years old. In his 16th big league season, the southpaw still has his upper-90s fastball and his wipeout slider.
At this point, it is as advertised.
Outside of Reyes, Phillies hitters had very little to show for the night. They put only six baserunners aboard against Sale, who dazzled over seven innings of one-run ball on 101 pitches.
The likely future Hall of Famer only added emphasis to what the Phillies have — or have not — done against left-handed pitching in April.
Sale was the seventh left-handed starter the Phillies have faced in 2026. They are now slashing .155/.236/.254 in those games. They have totaled just six runs on 22 hits across 40 innings and have lost all seven of those contests.
It has become a concerning and repetitive theme for Thomson’s club.
And this was another one of those nights.
“It’s tough to tell off Sale,” Thomson said. “Sale is a tough at-bat, and you’ve got to fight.”
Last season, the Phillies’ success against left-handers — the sixth-best OPS in MLB — was helped by Kyle Schwarber’s dominance. He slugged 23 home runs against lefties and posted a .964 OPS against southpaws. The Phillies also had four other hitters with an OPS above .800 in those matchups: Edmundo Sosa, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm.
This season, despite the much smaller sample, Harper is the only Phillies hitter with at least 10 at-bats against lefties who has posted an OPS above .800. Adolis García is next at .760.
The next highest after that?
Trea Turner at .554.
Even Schwarber has not found much success, posting a 42.5 percent strikeout rate, a .421 OPS and no home runs in 35 at-bats.
The Phillies were not able to capitalize on the jolt from Reyes, just as they could not capitalize on Brandon Marsh’s first-inning home run robbery and, more importantly, Cristopher Sánchez’s solid six-inning outing. The left-hander allowed no earned runs and struck out eight.
At times this year, Sánchez has not been quite as sharp, throwing more pitches per inning at 16.4, his highest rate since 2022. But in his sixth start of the season, he got Atlanta to swing and miss at a 38 percent clip. His changeup alone generated a 54 percent whiff rate on Saturday.
Thomson loved what he got from his starter.
“He was great,” Thomson said. “Fastball command was great. The changeup was swing-and-miss.”
But the Braves took advantage in the third inning.
After Sánchez recorded two strikeouts to open the frame, Drake Baldwin lined a single. Ozzie Albies then reached on a fielder’s choice that was extended by a mishandle from Sosa. A walk followed. Then came a soft infield single, another single and suddenly the Braves were ahead 3-1.
Sánchez kept his composure through the inning, even with the Braves using ABS challenges and finding soft contact.
“That’s part of the game now,” he said. “You’ve got to embrace it.”
And with the way the Phillies’ offense is going right now, that was too big a hole to climb out of.
As for Reyes, his first night in the big leagues still gave the Phillies a moment worth remembering, even in defeat. Thomson was right about the energy.
“Whenever you see a kid come up for the first time and get a home run in his first at-bat, there’s a lot of energy in the dugout for sure,” he said.
Philadelphia just could not do enough with it.
REALMUTO EXITS, AGAIN
The Phillies took another hit in the seventh inning, when J.T. Realmuto left the game with lower back tightness. It was the second time in the first month of the season that he exited early.
Thomson made clear that the club’s backstop began to feel the back tighten on Friday.
“It happened last night when he made the play at the plate,” Thomson said. “The throw from García kind of jammed him.”
Thomson also mentioned Realmuto is unlikely to be available for Sunday’s series finale.
If it were to keep him out of games, that would be another big blow after the Phillies lost Jhoan Duran earlier in the afternoon. Realmuto has been exceptional behind the plate, especially with the new ABS system, and he has also been one of their most consistent hitters at .280 with a .748 OPS.
A further update is expected Sunday.
