Phillies move Alec Bohm down to 7th in lineup, still can’t buy a hit

Despite an 8-4 start and generally good baseball from the Phillies, all fans can focus on his Alec Bohm’s struggles.

It’s hard to blame them — and to be clear, I’m one of those fans. I’ll admit, I get caught up in the Alec Bohm hate too. His body language after every bad at-bat drives me nuts, just like it does for the WIP hosts and callers. This might be one of the few times I actually agree with their sentiments.

On Thursday, the Phillies dropped Bohm to seventh in the lineup in an effort to jumpstart his bat. It didn’t help. He went 0-for-5, bringing his season average down to .160. Over his last five games, he’s just 1-for-23, and the frustration at the plate is impossible to miss.

The Phillies in turn lost 4-2 to the Braves in 11 innings, dropping their first series of the season.

Phillies manager Rob Thomson on Bohm’s struggles:

“I’m just trying to take a little heat off of Bohmer, and Casty’s swinging the bat good,” Thomson said. “That’s really what it comes down to. (He’s) probably disappointed. He likes hitting where he’s hitting. But I think he also realizes that he’s not swinging the bat the way he normally does.”

Shop Phillies Gear from the TLL Store

We’re still in April, so I’m willing to wait this whole thing out. Everyone goes through slumps, it just so happens that Bohm’s is happening right at the beginning of the season while the rest of the bats are, for the most part, holding their own.

Obviously, I’d like him to stop looking like a whiny bitch every time he strikes out or ground out. And I think that’s where the majority of the frustration from fans comes from. If he just held his head high and didn’t slam his bat or helmet on his way back to the dugout, more people would give him the benefit of the doubt.

Read More: Bryce Harper shares his morning skin care routine with the world

Call it toxic fandom or whatever buzz word you want to throw in there, Phillies fans don’t have patience with brats. That’s how Bohm has carried himself. And honestly, that probably won’t change.

We just have to hope he bounces back and starts playing well again. Otherwise, I’m not sure how much longer fans will be able to deal with him.