Phillies' offense a legitimate concern through first 17 games

It doesn’t matter if it’s April 16th—it is fair to have real concerns about the Phillies offense.

The Phillies won on Monday night. The team is now 9-8 and is having its best 17-game start in five years. Aaron Nola pitched 7.1 innings. Cristian Pache walked things off in extra innings . On the surface, the fans got their money's worth.

Anyone willing to put this game in context would be rightfully concerned. The at-bats have looked largely dreadful. Bryce Harper can’t find his stroke and is spiking helmets. Nick Castellanos has 3 years, $60 million left on his contract and nearly swung at a pitch that landed in Manayunk .

They faced a four-win team in the Colorado Rockies and starting pitcher Cal Quantrill, who held the Phils offense to one run and his updated ERA is still above 5.50.

"We got to score some runs man, we got to score some runs," Ben Davis said on Tuesday's 94WIP Morning Show. "It's been nonexistent."

This team spoke a ton in Spring Training about the importance of getting out to a fast start. Sure, what are they supposed to say? But for a team now notorious for starting out slow and finding its way into a wild card spot, the Phillies are certainly following the blueprint halfway through April.

The last two years, the winner of the NL East has not had the last laugh. It has been the Phillies ending the Braves season at a raucous Citizens Bank Park. Don’t let that become fool’s gold. Don’t let two years of early-round October success become the reason that you become complacent about yet another slow start.

The Braves are without their ace. If there was ever a time to give Atlanta a run for its money over 162 games, it’s now. No wild card team is immune to having a best-of-three series end its year.

I want this year to be different. Phillies fans should all want this year to be different. It unfortunately feels the same.