Are there lessons from the fast start of last year, weak finish? – NBC Sports Philadelphia

Clearwater, Fla. – There is a game in baseball almost every day. And that creates a dilemma when things slide sideways.

The players have to think about what they did wrong to correct their mistakes, but not so much that they transfer it to the next game. Diving about yesterday's failure is a pretty sure way to turn a bad day into a break -in. And the same principle can apply for a whole season.

On July 11, 2024, the Phillies in the Citizens Bank Park ended a passage of the mighty Dodgers. They were 61-32, proud owners of the best record in baseball.

From this point to the end of the season they were a game below 500 (34-35) and were then hit the nose by the Mets in the NLDs.

It was a breathtaking conclusion to a season that started with such a promise.

When another spring training was opened from the necessity in February, they had all behind them. If the season is opened in Washington on March 27, it will be irrelevant. “Everyone talks about the playoffs last year. Well, the playoffs are gone,” said manager Rob Thomson at the beginning of spring training. “It brings me to think about it every day, not to win and how we have lost. But you can't control it and it is in the past. And we have to concentrate today.”

Of course he is right. But that has to follow a time of self-observation, a Csivel autopsy to try to find out why everything was kerflooey. Here are some theories and observations:

– The constant conversation about a quick start was broken into the players so much that there was an unconscious disappointment when this goal was achieved.

Thomson was quite graphic in describing how hungry he believed that his players were on his first Clearwater press conference in 2024. “I think these boys are motivated. They had to try for two years. Now they want to take out a piece and swallow, and eat it,” he said.

The President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski rejects this premise. “I don't think there was too much emphasis on having a quick start,” he said at the beginning in spring training. “And I would say the same thing this year. Whether it comes out public or not, we want to have a quick start. It helps.”

– The players lost a small mental lead when they set up a large division lead. After all, the difference between profits and loss at the Major League level is low.

The Phillies had a 10-game pillow over the good until June and were never seriously questioned afterwards. So it would not be surprising if the focus of the players on the route is not quite as sharp.

One possible sign could be that the team's persecution rate, how often they swing in front of the strike zone on the parking spaces, improved at the beginning of the year and then rise slightly. Then, in the NLDS, they shortened 38 times in four games. Thomson disagrees.

“I don't think you have lost your advantage and I still see the same kind of motivation,” he said. “I see the same kind of grind and zeal to return there. You have to return there. There is no guarantee that you are doing it.

Dombrowski said: “I am not sure what happened. I can't tell you 100 percent. We just didn't play. I can't tell you the mental aspect because it is only guessed if you arrive. But it is obvious that we didn't play so well.”

– Regardless of what happened last season, even though they did the playoffs for three years in a row, they have not yet had two good halves for one season. In 2022 and 2023, they had to come slowly after the all-star break.

“I think a lot about it,” said Thomson. “How you do that?”

In order to illustrate his point of view, he used the left -hander Ranger Suarez, who was great in the first half, the effectiveness of which was dramatic afterwards due to a number of injuries.

“Limit your innings? Do you limit his pitch early? I don't know,” he continued. “We just have to play it after hearing. You gathered boys more days free? I don't know. You still have to win games. And if it is there for you, you should win them better. Because a bad loss can quickly put them in a deep dive. They have to be careful with the whole thing. It is very fragile.”

– Every team has to deal with injuries. Despite it …

Both Dombrowski and Thomson have preceded these comments by saying that they did not make any excuses.

“We had many injuries behind the scenes,” emphasized Dombrowski. If you look at it, had (alec) Bohm (one hand) injury. (Bryson) Stott had (an elbow) injury. JT (Realmuto had a knee) injury. (Trea) Turner used to have (a thigh) injury and came back. Austin Hays. Our start pitch was injured, the fifth starting type. Ranger was injured. So that would have contributed as much as something. “

He actually missed a couple. Brandon Marsh (Hamstring) and Kyle Schwarber (bar) also spent time on the injured list.

Bryce Harper was the most important of the NL players of the month for May and June and a legitimate MVP candidate. He was on the IL with a tense thigh and admitted that he had problems with his elbow and wrist later a year. He met 21 Homer with 61 RBI and .983 Ops in the first half, 9 HR, 26 RBI, .793 Ops after the break.

Bohm was .290/.804, before he injured his wrist at the end of August, 170/502 after he had returned. Stott admitted that pain in his elbow was annoying him until the end of the season of May.

Everyone was back for the playoffs, but not all of them were completely recovered.

“I think it made us a tribute,” said Thomson. “That's why I always say that health is the most important thing. Because we talented boys and a really good group of boys for make -up and how they get along and how they go for each other. And we have more depth than we have had in the past three years. But their depths can be exhausted quickly, so we have to keep these boys healthy.”