The full Nick Castellanos Experience propels Phillies to massive win

The full Nick Castellanos Experience propels Phillies to massive win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Anyone unfamiliar with Nick Castellanos’ game got the full experience Sunday as an afternoon that started with a handful of ugly swings ended with three high-quality at-bats and a walk-off single.

Castellanos heard boos during and after his fourth-inning groundout. He began the at-bat by flailing at two sliders out of the zone and in the dirt from Luis Severino. The third pitch bounced in front of the plate, Castellanos took it and the sellout crowd of 45,679 gave him a Bronx cheer. He shook his head.

“I was just frustrated so I guess I locked in more,” he said later.

Two innings after that poor at-bat, Castellanos raced around the bases, tying a pivotal Game 2 of the NLDS against the Mets with a solo home run.

In the eighth, after the Mets had gone ahead again, Castellanos singled with one out in front of Bryson Stott’s go-ahead two-run triple.

And then after Mark Vientos tied the score with a two-run homer off Matt Strahm in the top of the ninth, Castellanos ended a crazy game with a two-out walk-off single in the ninth.

“It feels like every walk-off hit is Nick,” Stott said. “He’s Nick Castellanos, he’s a professional hitter, and he’s hit his whole career. He came up big for us a lot this year. His heart rate doesn’t get up, stays the same. And he gets his swing off.”

Castellanos is as streaky as any hitter in the majors. When he’s feeling good about himself and seeing the ball, he’s extremely dangerous. When he’s not, he becomes a relatively easy out that doesn’t need to be thrown a strike.

Last year’s postseason was an exaggerated example. He went 7-for-15 with four homers in the NLDS to lead the Phillies past the Braves, then went 1-for-24 with 11 strikeouts in the NLCS against the Diamondbacks.

“I feel great for him,” manager Rob Thomson said. “I mean, he’s been working every day. Comes in early, hits one-on-one on the field. I don’t know how he’s done it and played 162 games because he’s just a workhorse.

“I’m so happy for him because I know that there’s been a lot of talk about chase and this and that. But he can hit. He can hit.

“He doesn’t let anything bother him, really. If he’s struggling, it doesn’t really bother him, he just keeps working. He’s an experienced guy. He knows he’s going to come out of it at some point.”

If he’s out of it, the timing couldn’t be better for the Phillies. The Mets will start lefty Sean Manaea in Game 3 Tuesday at Citi Field and Castellanos has hit him hard, going 6-for-16 with three homers and a double.

Alec Bohm, who occupied the cleanup spot before Thomson moved Castellanos there in September, was benched Sunday in favor of Edmundo Sosa. Bohm entered in the seventh inning and will start Games 3 and 4 but it’s unclear how much run production the Phillies will receive from him. He’s 2-for-29 dating back to the end of the regular season.

Whether or not Bohm can pick it up, the Phillies need thunder from Castellanos to protect Bryce Harper, who might not see a ton to hit the rest of the series, especially in key spots.

“Nick doesn’t get bothered by much,” Kyle Schwarber said. “I don’t know if he took (the Bronx cheer) personally but, you know what? He came up big for us. He’s always looking forward to that next at-bat or that next play in the field or whatever it is. That’s a huge quality, especially in the postseason.”