Tommy Joseph struggling with off-speed pitches

He smashed seven homers in his first 21 major-league games, so Tommy Joseph had an idea of what would come next. Pitchers were going to change how they threw to him. A five-game stretch in which Joseph went 1 for 20 with six strikeouts served as a sign that he will need to adapt with them. He went 0 for 4 with a long flyout Wednesday.

The 24-year-old first baseman will have every chance to do just that. These are the entertaining moments for a rebuilding team, the opportunity to see whether a young hitter can prove his talent beyond a few stellar weeks.

"That's part of getting to a new league, where people don't know you," Joseph said. "They'll see some power numbers and they'll go, 'All right.' It's the game within the game that everybody gets to adjust to."

There is no fear of losing regular at-bats; Joseph was in the lineup Wednesday, batting cleanup, with the chance to apply a better approach. Opposing pitchers have targeted Joseph with fewer fastballs and more breaking balls.

"I didn't think he'd be a .330 hitter, " Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "He's going to have his ups and downs like anyone else. . . . He doesn't have a lot of flaws in his swing. It's just recognizing pitches."

During a seven-game stretch from June 2 to 10, Joseph saw a total of 85 pitches and 57 were fastballs, according to PITCHf/x data. He went 11 for 24 in those games, with four homers and a double.

He saw just 25 fastballs in 53 pitches over the next four games, part of which can be attributed to knuckleballer R.A. Dickey's being on the mound for one of those games. But Joseph said he noticed a difference before, during the Nationals series last weekend, when he faced a higher amount of off-speed pitches.

The Phillies had zero expectations for Joseph before 2016. Now, Mackanin said, he is "not overly concerned" about Joseph's ability to adjust. That speaks to an aptitude for hitting that the coaching staff has recognized.

Joseph said he must stick to his approach, which means more discipline. "And," he said, "when they do give me a heater to hit, capitalize on it." He struck out 24 times and walked just twice in his first 26 big-league games.

"I have to stay within the strike zone a little bit better than I have," Joseph said. ". . . As a hitter on any level, when you get two strikes, you don't have to swing."

Third baseman Maikel Franco did not start for the third straight game with a sprained right knee, and he was examined by a team doctor. He struck out on three pitches as a pinch-hitter to end Wednesday's game. He is expected to play Thursday, Mackanin said. . . . Righthander Dalier Hinojosa, on the disabled list for six weeks with a bruised right hand, will throw a 30-pitch batting practice session Friday in Clearwater, Fla.