01-07-2025
Phillies' Recent Offensive Struggles Reveal Major Drop in Production Against Breaking Balls
Phillies' Recent Offensive Struggles Reveal Major Drop in Production Against Breaking Balls originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Philadelphia Phillies were just swept by the Houston Astros in a three-game series in which they allowed a total of five runs. The three losses came by the scores of 1-0, 2-0, and 2-1.
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The Phillies scored a total of one run across 27 innings this week. However, the team is still averaging 4.57 runs per game, which ranks No. 11 in MLB.
The main reason for that is the Phillies' ability to hit the fastball. They have the best batting average and the seventh-best slugging percentage against the fastball in the league.
But, on the flip side, the Phillies have severely struggled against the breaking ball. SB Nation's Anthony Esbenson took a deep dive on how the breaking ball has crippled the Phillies in 2025.
Since 2021, the fastball usage across the league has dropped from 35.2 percent to 31.6 percent, and the breaking ball usage has risen by 31 percent.
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The Phillies hit the breaking ball relatively well in 2024, ranking inside the top five in both batting average and slugging percentage. But the numbers have told a much different story in 2025.
Philadelphia is hitting just .214 with a .338 slugging percentage against the breaking ball this year, which ranks 18th and fifth-worst, respectively, in MLB.
Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59) looks on from the dugout against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC LeClaire-Imagn Images
Many mainstays in the Phillies' lineup have seen their numbers drop dramatically, which has caused this trend.
Kyle Schwarber went from hitting .244 and slugging .500 in 2024 to hitting .144 and slugging .330 against the breaking ball in 2025. JT Realmuto's numbers have dropped from .296 and .500 to .185 and .209 in 2025. Alec Bohm has dipped from .306 and .518 in 2024 to .242 and .295 in 2025, and Bryson Stott has fallen from .304 and .457 to .231 and .292 in 2025.
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Meanwhile, others like Trea Turner and Nick Castellanos have stayed consistent with their numbers from 2024, and Brandon Marsh has improved his numbers. But, they haven't been enough to offset the drop from the rest.
One of the largest reasons is the Phillies' swing-happy tendencies. They have a chase percentage of 29.1 percent, which ranks in the bottom ten in MLB.
The breaking ball has given the Phillies obvious problems, and the more visible it becomes, the more teams will attack the weakness. The Phillies need to find a solution because they can't afford to score one run across 27 innings when October comes around.
Related: Phillies 'Growing Frustrated' With Lack of Production From Starting Outfielder
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
