Phillies’ Alec Bohm addresses early-season slump: ‘The game’s trying to teach me a lesson’

ST. LOUIS — In his first at-bat Thursday night, Alec Bohm smashed a heat-seeking missile — 105.3 mph off the bat — to the right side of the field.

And right at the leaping second baseman.

“It’s like, all right,” Bohm recalled Saturday. “Like, I guess we’re doing this.”

Consider it a snap shot of the season’s first three weeks. As the Phillies get set to conclude their weekend series against the Cardinals on Sunday, Bohm sits in a 5-for-47 tailspin. Manager Rob Thomson dropped him to the No. 7 spot in the order and eventually to eighth.

» READ MORE: In search of better protection for Bryce Harper, Phillies drop Kyle Schwarber behind him in the batting order

But Bohm isn’t so much lost as luckless. Never mind that he hit 14 balls at 100 mph or harder, second-most on the team behind Kyle Schwarber; only four went for hits. He was batting .250 on barreled balls; league average is .684.

And because Bohm frequently shows emotion on the field by slamming bats and spiking helmets, his frustration is laid bare. He’s a lightning rod for fans. He also got benched for one game in the postseason last year and was the subject of trade rumors throughout the winter.

Mix it all together — and sprinkle in that he turned down multiple requests to speak with reporters earlier in the week — and Bohm is at the center of an early-season maelstrom.

“I feel like everything is very, very overanalyzed that I do the baseball field, from the moment I step on it to the moment I step off it,” Bohm said, breaking his public silence before going 1-for-4 with an infield single. “But that’s not under my control. Just have to play the game.”

A bloop hit would surely help, too. But at least Bohm can take solace in the process. His swing is in good shape. He’s pleased with his plate approach.

It’s natural, though, to get discouraged when the results don’t align. So, Thomson, hitting coach Kevin Long, and the Phillies’ hitting analysts have tried to provide Bohm with evidence. His expected batting average, for instance, was .272 through Friday (actual average: .151).

» READ MORE: Phillies’ ‘10th man’ Edmundo Sosa does whatever it takes to get in the lineup. It’s been that way since he was 15.

“Everywhere I turn it’s, ‘Look at your expected numbers. Look at this. Pick your head up. It’s going to be OK,‘” Bohm said. “But I just keep hitting balls hard and it just keeps going at people, and there’s really nothing I can do about it.

“I know eventually everything sort of evens out. I know that I’ve hit well over .400 for an entire month in this league multiple times. So, as far as me being worried about anything, no. But I’d like it to end. I’d certainly like it to turn in my favor a little bit.

“The results aren’t happening right now. But at some point this year, they’re going to happen. And I’ve got to think for some extended period of time I’m also going to get some luck, too. And I think when we look up at the end of the year, I’m going to be right around .280 and right around 100 RBIs, everywhere I’m supposed to be.“

And in the meantime?

“I guess the game’s trying to teach me a lesson,” Bohm said. “Maybe.”

When the Phillies put Kody Clemens on the season-opening roster, they knew it would be difficult to find playing time for him. But through Friday, he had one at-bat — and hadn’t even seen the field since the ninth inning on March 30.

“I think he understands the situation,” Thomson said. “But I’ve got to try and get him in at some point.”

Clemens plays multiple positions in the infield and outfield. But he’s a lefty-hitting reserve on a team with five lefties in the everyday lineup, including second baseman Bryson Stott, left fielder Max Kepler, and center fielder Brandon Marsh.

As expected, Thomson stuck with a rearranged batting order in which Schwarber batted behind Bryce Harper. ... Schwarber has reached base in 20 consecutive regular-season games dating to last Sept. 23. ... J.T. Realmuto stole his 100th career base earlier this week. He’s the 13th catcher since 1898 to reach triple-digits in steals. ... Zack Wheeler (1-0, 3.44 ERA) is scheduled to start the series finale at 1:10 p.m. Sunday against Cardinals lefty Matthew Liberatore (0-1, 5.84).