Swinging wildly, leaving eight or more or men on base, sloppy defense, throwing to the wrong base, and looking lackadaisical.

Just like a Little League team? Try your Philadelphia Phillies through their first five games.

Bryce Harper appears non-interested with a .095 batting average in his first five games.

However, the Phils did get a lift from rookie Andrew Painter, who looked good in his five-inning debut in their 3-2 win over Washington, and they followed that with a 10-inning, 6-5 comeback victory on rookie Justin Crawford’s walk-off single. Harper did hit a solo homer.

Feel better? A Phillie fanatic does with their 3-3 record.

In this version of my Behind the Plate column, I will look at the Phils’ current plight, some caveats around the league, a recollection about a former Phils’ once-prized right-hander, and a Northwestern coaching legend.

Have a sweet tooth? Read on.

Simply the Facts ... Through their first five games, the Phils were hitting .198 with 17 runs scored, but had a 2-3 record, thanks to solid outings by Painter and Cristopher Sanchez.

In addition to Harper, the lineup was putrid offensively with Trea Turner (.182), Kyle Schwarber (.158, he did have two homers), Alec Bohm (.118) and J.T. Realmuto (.118) all struggling. Brandon Marsh, who started 0-31 last year, led the pack at .400, and Crawford was at .333.

The club began 2025 with a 4-1 mark, and also had Zack Wheeler on the mound. Wheeler might look to come back soon, but shouldn’t have to rush because the team has a strong enough staff.

The Phils head west to Colorado and San Francisco, and a change of scenery could help get them out of the pressure cooker.

Beware of the Don ... When Don Mattingly was hired as the team’s bench coach, there was immediate speculation that the ex-skipper was an insurance policy if Rob Thomson faltered. Most bench coaches are hired with that notion in mind, either with their parent club or another.

Now, the rumors will again surface.

Over the past two years, grumblings about Thomson’s job security have surfaced and gained momentum. If the club is still floundering around Memorial Day, it might be time to shift to Mattingly, simply as a different voice in the dugout.

Try to Keep the Faith ... In a recent Times News Lehighton Sports Facebook poll, 73 percent of voters believed the Phillies and Bryce Harper’s slow starts are a matter of concern, while 27 percent aren’t concerned.

Readers Write

Early Concerns, Yet Hopeful

Dear Jeff,

The Phillies and Harper’s slow start is absolutely a concern. He had an off year last year and may be past his prime. I thought that Dombroski’s comments would spark Harper to prove him wrong, but so far he hasn’t demonstrated any power. His second hit of the season didn’t even make it out of the infield.

I still have “high hopes” for this team and Harper, but the bats are starting like they ended last year. It’s still early, so hopefully something changes.

Melissa Hager

Lehighton

Worried

Dear Jeff,

He (Harper) may not be concerned, but we are.

Robert S. Kistler

Falling Star

Dear Jeff,

You got to wonder if Harper is one of those aging stars that just falls off the proverbial cliff and ends up being mediocre at best. I’ve seen it happen before.

Steve Shinko

Call to Action

Dear Jeff,

The organization did nothing to improve over the offseason, and they will barely make this season.

Joshua J. Horvath

Summit Hill, PA

Sizzlin’ and Fizzlin’ ... The season is roughly a week old, but some teams already have set a quick pace. Others are floundering.

Sizzlin: Here are five teams (not in any particular order) that are off to a good start with pitching being their theme:

Dodgers (4-1) - Any surprise? They are doing it with pitching, as their bullpen allowed one run in their first five games. Shohei Ohtani, who threw six shutout innings and allowed one hit Tuesday, was hitting .200. Freddie Freeman (.200) is also off to a slow start, and the team was hitting just .248.

Yankees (4-1) - Like the Dodgers, the Yanks’ pitching has been superb, as they allowed three runs in five games. Oft-injured Giancarlo Stanton (keep your fingers crossed Yankees fans) was hitting .500, while Aaron Judge was struggling at .150. The team was hitting only .234.

Rangers (4-1) - Tyler Alexander had two saves (0.00 ERA), and Jacob deGrom and Nathan Evoldi have started slowly. Ex-Phillie Andrew McCutcheon (.455) and ex-Met Brandon Nimmo (.355) are enjoying their new home.

Marlins (4-1) - It’s early, but the Marlins are playing well. Xavier Edwards was at a .421 clip and Griffin Conine, son of ex-Phil and Marlin legend Jeff Conine, is hitting .400. Trade bait starters Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez have both started strong, but could still be dealt.

Astros (4-2) - Could be the surprise team of the AL West. Yordan Alvarez was hitting .381 with three homers, and mainstay Jose Altuve was at .368. Hunter Brown and Lance McCullers Jr. have been an effective duo at the top of the rotation.

Fizzlin: Here are five teams that are struggling at the start of the season.

Padres (1-4) - Seen as contenders to the Dodgers, the Pads were hitting .182 as a team. Ex-Phils Nick Castellanos hit a paltry .167 early, and Nick Pivetta gave up six runs in his first start.

Red Sox (1-4) - Wyler Abreu was hitting .400 with two homers and five RBIs, but the team hit just .208. Ex-Phil Ranger Suarez (0-1, 8.31) hasn’t quite adjusted.

White Sox (1-4) - Expectations were higher, but the Sox are still the Sox. Import Munetaka Murakami has hit three homers and a respectable .278, but the Sox’s staff has an 8.34 ERA.

A’s (1-4) - Like the White Sox, the A’s are still the A’s, stranded in Sacramento ... at least for now. Shea Langeliers leads MLB in homers, while MVP candidate Nick Kurtz was at .059, ex-Met Jeff McNeil at .091, and the team at .180.

Rockies (1-4) - Like the White Sox and A’s, the Rockies don’t rock. Instead, they managed only two runs in their first five games.

Make The Call ... The ABS (automated ball-strike) challenge system has certainly stoked controversy in the opening week, often being critical of umpires. There could be a day in the near future when the game’s calls are totally automated.

Through the end of March, the Phillies won 60 percent of their calls. Individually, J.T. Realmuto topped all catchers, getting all three of his challenges correct, and Kyle Schwarber won three of four.

The Yankees captured 85 percent of their challenges, hitting on all five of them against Seattle on March 31. The Mets were at 57.1 percent.

Sweet Tooth ... Several teams are serving new desserts on their ballpark menus this season.

One of the more interesting ones is the Yankees mini-dessert “chicken” bucket. It looks like fried chicken, but it’s ice cream with a chocolate covered cookie center.

The Phillies’ contribution is the “Schwarbomb Sundae,” a mini helmet filled with soft-serve ice cream and topped with a funnel-cake-fried strawberry, fresh strawberry sauce and fruity cereal pieces.

On the Home Front ... The rash of cold weather certainly has caused a slow start for most of our local high school teams. Ironically, heading into Wednesday’s play, the area teams had a combined record of 23-24. Northwestern (5-1) and Palmerton 5-2) led the pack.

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will peel back the pages to review the career of a former standout from the area.

Len Smith led the Northwestern baseball program for 33 years until his retirement in 2015. A 1969 Northwestern graduate, the former skipper played for the Tigers and earned a Master of Education degree from East Stroudsburg University.

Smith posted an overall 387-313 record at the helm, and the Tigers went 16-8 in his final season, reaching the Colonial League title game and losing to Saucon Valley. That season ended with a loss to Tamaqua in the District 11 Class 3A quarterfinals.

Smith’s teams won a district title and four league crowns, three in the Colonial League and one in the Centennial League. He was a physical education teacher in the district for 37 years.

Smith passed away at age 74 in 2025.

Diamond Digest ... In each column, I will recall a former player, manager or media member from our former pastime.

Do you remember “Starvin” Marvin Freeman? The right-handed pitcher was the Phillies’ second-round pick in the 1984 draft. Freeman debuted with the Phillies in 1986 when he went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA in three starts.

But control problems plagued Freeman during his four-year Phillies stint that included minor-league trips. He posted an overall 4-5 mark with a 5.33 ERA over 18 starts in four years with the Phillies until he was traded to the Braves for Joe Boever in June 1990.

Freeman also made stops with the Rockies and White Sox. In 1994, Freeman went 10-2 with a 2.80 ERA for Colorado, and finished fourth in the Cy Young voting in the strike-shortened season.

His last season was with Colorado in 1996. Freeman compiled an overall record of 35-28 with a 4.64 ERA in 321 games (78 starts) with a 4.64 ERA in 10 seasons.

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