Freddy Galvis struggling in crucial season

Freddy Galvis has just six hits this month. It has been three weeks since his last multi-hit game. His batting average - .213 - is the lowest it has ever been after 200 at-bats.

It is tough, Galvis said. But his funk is something that the shortstop insists he can turn around.

"We're just passing through a hard time right now," Galvis said after Sunday's 5-1 loss to Arizona. "Two weeks ago I was hitting .250 and nobody thought about it. Now I'm hitting .210 and everyone starts to say something. It's baseball. Sometimes you have it, sometimes you don't have it. Sometimes you'll have it for 10 years and then you'll lose it for two or three years. The keys are to keep working. I know myself. I know I can do better than what I'm doing right now."

Galvis' time at shortstop is likely limited. J.P. Crawford, the team's top prospect, is expected to join the team sometime this summer. His promotion will likely bump Galvis to second base, the position he first played in the majors. This season, for Galvis, is about proving his worth. His defense could earn him a role as a utility player on the next contending Phillies team. An improvement at the plate would keep him in the lineup.

Galvis went 0 for 2 on Sunday with a walk. He popped up in the fifth inning on a 2-0 pitch with two runners on. Galvis said he was being aggressive. Zach Eflin was on deck. Galvis figured Archie Bradley would have to groove a fastball over the plate after throwing two balls. The pitcher instead fired a high fastball out of the zone. Galvis lunged at and popped it up to the catcher.

"He is in that territory right now where you could categorize him as a 'good field, no hit guy,' " manager Pete Mackanin said. "But I know he has more in him. Last year, he hit .263. That's the frustrating part because we know these guys are better. As much as they're working, they're not applying it in the game….That's a defensive position. He's so good at shortstop and we need him to step it up offensively. But, I can live with his defense."

Galvis has not allowed his struggles at the plate to carry over to the field. He is errorless in June and has made just two errors in his last 64 games. Galvis has the third-highest fielding percentage among all shortstops. He ended the top of the seventh inning on Sunday with a nice running scoop.

He snagged Paul Goldschmidt's grounder and fired to first. Galvis' defense is often so smooth that it looks effortless. The play saved a pair runs and kept the Phillies within striking distance. But the Phillies went without a hit in the seventh. And the offensive struggles continued.