PHILADELPHIA _ Cesar Hernandez raised his right hand on the barrel and lowered his bat to bunt, just as he has done so often this season. The ball sputtered in front of Pirates catcher Eric Fryer, who hurried a throw to first base that sailed into the Citizens Bank Park stands. Hernandez boasted his majors-leading 12th bunt hit of the season.
In the fourth inning Wednesday of a 6-2 Phillies win, Hernandez later scored on Maikel Franco's double. The 26-year-old second baseman is an enigmatic presence in Pete Mackanin's lineup, but the Phillies manager speaks more and more like a man who envisions Hernandez atop his batting order in 2017.
"Speed?" Mackanin said. "I love speed. Speed puts a lot of pressure on defenses."
That is one reason why Mackanin has inserted nimble rookie Roman Quinn in the No. 2 spot for the first four games of his big league career. The Phillies make outs at a more frequent rate than any other team in baseball, so the batters who do reach base are precious commodities. The faster they are, the more chance they have at creating a run.
On Wednesday, the Phillies scored runs in divergent ways. They bashed two more homers, one by Freddy Galvis and another from Tommy Joseph. Those players each have 19 homers this season, numbers that seemed impossible six months ago in spring training for very different reasons.
But too many of the Phillies' home runs this season have been hit without runners on base. As the team searches for increased run production, consistent improvement from the top of the lineup is a priority.
Hernandez, quietly, has provided just that. He batted first Wednesday for the 52nd game in 2016. His on-base percentage in those games is .387. (The league-average OBP for a leadoff hitter is .344.) Hernandez is a player with documented flaws _ baserunning among them _ but one who looks relaxed with a clear plan of approach atop the lineup.
"He's made a hell of an argument for him being the leadoff hitter," Mackanin said. "You have a guy like him who can run, and a guy like Quinn who can run. Those guys get on base and it helps, especially late in the game."
Quinn started the third inning with a soft infield single to the pitcher; it was his second infield hit in as many nights. The Phillies scored two runs in the inning. Quinn can neither win nor lose a job for next season during the final three weeks of this season, but a good first impression would be an advantage come spring training. He doubled again in the eighth inning; three of his six hits so far are doubles. In the ninth, Quinn threw out a runner at home.
Both Hernandez and Galvis are strong bets, barring a trade, to begin 2017 as double-play partners again. They will both receive raises through salary arbitration; Hernandez is eligible for the first time.
J.P. Crawford, the organization's top prospect, did not produce enough at triple-A Lehigh Valley to merit a promotion in 2016. The Phillies could delay the shortstop's arrival until mid-May for service-time purposes. Really, it could be for development purposes; Crawford has not yet pushed his way into the big league picture.
So that buys both Hernandez and Galvis more time. Galvis, who is last in on-base percentage among all qualified hitters in baseball, has displayed a power stroke that has surpassed all expectations. But he, like Hernandez, remains an unfinished player.
They, at least, have shown glimmers of competency.
"It's nice to have athleticism," Mackanin said. "It's nice to have speed. Good, athletic players all around the field. You can have one Greg Luzinski, but you don't want more than one of that."
