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MIAMI — Slowly however absolutely, Nick Castellanos is feeling like himself once more. He may already be there, with the outcomes lastly exhibiting up constantly during the last two weeks.
Castellanos homered on the primary pitch he noticed in his hometown Friday evening, launching a solo shot to right-center area off of left-hander Trevor Rogers in an eventual 8-2 Phillies win.
He reacted equally to final Monday in Anaheim, when he homered to a close to an identical spot and pointed his finger towards right-center in celebration.
When he is going effectively, Castellanos’ success and swagger is sort of a bolt of lightning within the Phillies’ dugout. It is not arduous to see the constructive power it creates.
And he is at his greatest when hitting the ball with authority the alternative manner. That is at all times been Castellanos’ calling card.
Many occasions when a participant slumps, there isn’t any singular motive or smoking gun. Castellanos’ state of affairs in April appears a bit completely different. He grew to become obsessive about staying within the strike zone and honing in on specific spots. He obtained away from his strengths. He wasn’t being the Nick Castellanos that slugged his approach to the most important leagues, to a $100 million contract and to 2 All-Star groups.
“Someone that was extra affected person and selective,” he mentioned of who he was making an attempt to grow to be at age 32. “Someone who was searching for this pitch on this rely, and this pitcher does that. And quite a lot of the liberty that I might have attacking the baseball went away as a result of my thoughts was working manner too quick.
“I simply really feel like my swings are extra free, free. Not nervous a lot about chasing or being so arduous on myself with like making an attempt to have a plan. Simply go up there with no ideas and simply swing. See ball, hit ball.”
The first motive for the Phillies’ unraveling within the 2023 NLCS was fixed extending of the strike zone. The Diamondbacks realized that so many Phils hitters have been over-aggressively making an attempt to swing their manner into the World Collection that they stopped coming into the strike zone as a lot. The Phillies could not modify, whiffing and placing pitchers’ pitches into play weakly.
Castellanos wasn’t the one participant increasing an excessive amount of within the Arizona sequence however he caught out greater than most as a result of A) he’s at all times aggressive, and B) he’s steadily attacked the identical manner with low-and-away breaking balls.
“My complete profession, I’ve by no means had a plan, I’ve by no means appeared for a pitch,” he mentioned. “Principally, the sport is glorified batting observe. That is after I’ve at all times been at my greatest. I believe I actually tried to be one thing I wasn’t at first of the season and f—ed myself somewhat bit. However I am getting out of it.”
Castellanos is 8-for-23 with three doubles, a homer, 4 RBI and two walks throughout a six-game hitting streak. Over the past 14 days, he is hit .265/.333/.510. It is cheap that Castellanos may put collectively that kind slash-line the remainder of the season, and if he does, it could be a big improvement for the Phillies. It will be welcomed manufacturing after he hit a mixed .214/.259/.376 in his last 75 video games final season and first 30 this season.
The Phillies have constructed a pleasant cushion already at 27-12 however may particularly use a Castellanos scorching streak proper now with Trea Turner sidelined not less than one other month with a hamstring pressure and Kyle Schwarber day-to-day with again soreness.
“It is not like one second,” Castellanos mentioned when requested when he determined his outdated manner labored higher. “It is sort of like ice, it simply melts away.”
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