Apr 19, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas (23) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Miami Marlins in the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
If you wanted evidence that the Phillies can win games where Bryce Harper and/or Kyle Schwarber don't hit home runs, Saturday was an encouraging day.
In an 11-10 win over Cal Quantrill and the lowly Miami Marlins, Bryson Stott continued to thrive hitting out of the top spot in the lineup.
Stott led off the game with a seven-pitch walk, and subsequently stole second base. He also delivered a two-run double in the bottom of the fourth inning, all part of a day that saw Stott drive in three runs:
Bryson Stott’s leadoff hitter era is going swimmingly.
pic.twitter.com/0ZUvkOA0DG
At the opposite end of the lineup, Johan Rojas had one of the finest games of his career.
He may have been the beneficiary of the indecisiveness of Quantrill on what wasn't a very good bunt attempt, but give him credit for his speed because that ultimately led to no throw to first base:
Great hit Stott but I was busy clipping this beautiful Rojas bunt pic.twitter.com/dBcpaQUD2r
— John Foley (@2008Philz) April 19, 2025
In any event, Rojas went 3-for-5 with a stolen base and three runs scored Saturday afternoon, so it would have been a great day for him even if Quantrill had made a better decision on his bunt attempt.
In fact, it's been a pretty impressive week at the plate for Rojas. Since looking overmatched in a loss to the San Francisco Giants when he got a chance to play over a struggling Brandon Marsh on Monday, Rojas is 6-for-13. He's now hitting .345 on the young season:
Who let Johan Rojas get hot? 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NzQJZPi6fE
A few good games isn't enough reason to get carried away when evaluating a player that's struggled to make an impact at the plate for much of his MLB career, but Rojas still deserves credit when it's due. As Marsh has dealt with right knee discomfort in recent days, Rojas has run with the opportunity for increased at-bats. Marsh was doing on-field work Saturday, and Rob Thomson said he was available in an emergency prior to both yesterday and today's games. But given how Rojas has hit the last few days — and that Marsh is hitting .095 in 42 at-bats this season — the Phillies might be wise to ride the hot hand in center field right now.
Elsewhere, Trea Turner had three hits and multiple RBIs Saturday. Max Kepler roped a two-run double in the third inning as part of a multi-hit day. And for good measure, both Harper and Schwarber added RBIs of their own in the bottom of the seventh inning.
One day against a team that's destined to loss 100+ games isn't worth any drastic overreactions. Jordan Romano's ninth-inning meltdown was a reminder of some of the issues the Phillies currently have as a team. At the same time, over the course of a 162-game season, take your victories when you get them. For the Phillies' offense, Saturday was, as Ice Cube once said, a good day.
