Bohm and Marsh humble, Harper introspective after Phillies win
Humbled by their early-season slumps, Alec Bohm and Brandon Marsh had the kind of night they both needed. They were introspective afterward and so was Bryce Harper, who shared his message to them.
admin
Bohm and Marsh humble, Harper introspective after Phillies win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The only Phillie who needed a productive night more than Alec Bohm on Tuesday was the hitter behind him, his lockermate and best friend on the team, Brandon Marsh.
Bohm entered the night riding a 5-for-45 slump. Marsh was hitless in his last 26 at-bats. Bohm was dropped from fourth to eighth in the Phillies’ lineup last week, and Marsh was benched on Monday night against a right-handed pitcher because manager Rob Thomson felt the centerfielder needed a night to clear his head.
Both were instrumental in Tuesday’s win over the Giants, driving in a run apiece in a game that was decided by two. Marsh drove in the Phillies’ second run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the second, and Bohm overcame an earlier failure with one out and runners on the corners to hit the go-ahead RBI single in a 6-4 win.
“That’s the game right there,” Bohm said of rebounding two innings after grounding into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. “You think, ‘Oh, there goes my chance.’ You can either let that go one way and ruin the rest of the day or just keep playing the game and the game gives you another opportunity.”
Bohm and Marsh were introspective in the Phillies’ clubhouse postgame.
“It’s a very humbling game and I’m feeling very humble right now,” Bohm said.
“The game’s very tough. It’ll knock you down and bring you back up when you least expect it,” Marsh added.
Bryce Harper was even more philosophical.
“I just want them to enjoy the game,” he said. “Life can be a lot harder, life can be a lot tougher, we get to play this beautiful game every day. I was standing in the on-deck circle in the third inning thinking about it — it’s a great game we get to play. Obviously, you’re going to go through ups and downs in life and in the season and it’s a hard thing to do. But at the end of the day, we’re all healthy, we’re all strong.
“Just go out there and enjoy it because it’ll go quick and you’ll start thinking to yourself why did I take it so serious and it’s gone now.”
Bohm and Marsh have taken their slumps seriously because they care. They care that they’ve been unable to produce or help the Phillies win for most of April. They’re not the primary reasons why the Phillies lost five of seven before Tuesday but were pieces of it.
“Me and Brandon, if we’re playing up to three-quarters of what we’re capable of and we’re hitting eighth and ninth, we have a really good lineup because we’re not eight- and nine-hitters. It’s just that simple,” Bohm said. “I think lately, we’ve kind of just been outs. That’s why we’re so frustrated about it, because we know we’re way better than we’ve been. I think when this thing all comes together, you’re gonna see a pretty deep lineup.”
It was uncertain whether or not Marsh would be in Tuesday’s lineup. Thomson on Monday sounded like he wanted to give the centerfielder multiple days to reset. But Marsh had a good day of work on Monday in the cage. The Phillies faced another righty on Tuesday in Justin Verlander and knew they’d see a lefty Wednesday in Robbie Ray, so Marsh got the nod over Johan Rojas.
“It just felt like I was me again, just feel like dancing into the box,” Marsh said. “Just smooth and in rhythm. Yesterday was a good day, today was a good day, just got to keep going.
“We’re scuffling a little bit, Bohmer and I, but we’ll be just fine. A lot of other guys are carrying the weight of this team right now which is great, but when the tide turns me and Bohmer are gonna be there.”
They’ve been there in past. Marsh hit .276 with an OPS well over .800 vs. right-handed pitching in 2023 and 2024. Bohm has hit .277 the last two years, driving in 97 runs each time. It’s been a wretched start to 2025 but it’s also barely even mid-April.
The win over the Giants was a step in the right direction for Bohm, for Marsh and for a Phillies offense that was 3-for-44 with runners in scoring position from Thursday through the sixth inning Tuesday night.
“We’re all in this together,” Bohm said. “Everybody knows that over the course of 162 games, we’re all gonna have our moments, we’re all gonna have our struggles. It’s a rollercoaster. It feels good to have 26 guys behind me and the rest of the staff and the whole stadium.
“… Whether it’s tomorrow or a week from now or a month from now, I’m gonna be a different player for sure. Just having faith in that, knowing that, trusting everything I’ve done.”
