CINCINNATI — There isn’t much expected from the Philadelphia Phillies this season, but starting off with three straight losses against the equally-rebuilding Cincinnati Reds puts a bigger damper on the team’s outlook.
Third baseman Maikel Franco is one player who is expected to produce and he’s gotten off to just that kind of start. Franco went 3-for-10, walked twice, got on base another time after being hit by a pitch, drove in two runs and scored a pair of runs in the first series. He hit his first home run of the season on Wednesday, a homer that accounted for all of the team’s runs in a 3-2 loss.
Franco made his major league debut in 2014, hitting just .179 in 16 games for the Phillies, but he showed his potential last season when he hit .280 with 14 home runs, 22 doubles and 50 RBIs in 80 games last season. His slugging percentage of .497 was second among all National League rookies.
Franco reached base four of his five trips to the plate in Thursday’s 10-6 loss, including his first double of the season.
“I feel good,” said Franco. “I got more confident last year, I got more comfortable at the plate. Coming in I just have to do everything I can do for the team. I’m trying to do everything better every single day. I feel comfortable.”
After starting off with the Reds, the team that will pick No. 2 behind the Phillies in this June’s draft, Philadelphia heads to New York where it will face the defending NL champion Mets in a three-game weekend series at Citi Field.
“We know what we’re up against,” said Phillies manager Pete Mackanin. “I hope we get this out of the way. We’ve hit good pitching before. It’s not like we’re going in there thinking we’re in trouble.”