Phillies Mind-Boggling Defensive Miscue Propels Braves to Second Consecutive Win 8-4
The Phillies pitching was battered for 13 hits, as they dropped their second consecutive game to the Braves Wednesday night 8-4.
Braves (21-23) Beat Phillies (20-24)
- Winning Pitcher: Spencer Strider (1-1, 2.22)
- Losing Pitcher: Ranger Suarez (4-3, 4.74)
- Save: n/a
The Phillies dropped another game tonight to the Braves. The defining moment of this one was definitely the wacky play in the 5th inning that scored what turned out to be the winning run. It honestly looked like something you would see on a Thursday night in my Mens-Rec softball league.
What we have here is a seriously confounding sequence of events that ended in Dansby Swanson scoring from first base. Swanson stole second, drawing a throw from JT Realmuto, which somehow got past the glove of Jean Segura, Bryson Stott and yes, even Odubel Herrera.
That’s an embarrassing play from Odubel and something you will only see from the Philadelphia Phillies. I seriously don’t think I have ever seen anything quite like it..
This team finds a way to a make a crushing defensive play nearly every single night.
Ranger Suarez struggled for the second consecutive start, laboring through 4.1 innings in which he threw 88 pitches. Suarez was undone by a four run 2nd inning, in which he walked a batter and allowed four hits, including a solo home run to William Contreras.
Suarez hasn’t been locating the ball the same this season as his ERA has now ballooned to 4.97. Ranger doesn’t throw hard enough to make up for missed location. I have a feeling Ranger will be able to right the ship, but this team needs him to produce stats similar to his breakout 2021 campaign if they are going to find success.
I will give this team a tiny bit of credit, as the offense fought back to tie it up at 4-4 in the 5th inning. However, any hopes for pulling out a win win were brief as the Phillies surrendered two runs in the 5th inning and one in the 6th and 7th inning.
The Reason?
The Phillies bullpen, which can only be described as a smoldering pile of medical waste, allowed 7 hits and walked 3 batters in just 3.1 innings of work. For some reason Joe Girardi went with James Norwood again for the second straight night, even though he should have been on a bus to Allentown last night.
Also, stop me if you have heard this one before, but the bullpen stinks. So far this season the Phillies starting rotation has been amongst the best in the league, but on the nights in which one of them struggles, this team isn’t built to recover. And the reason is the bullpen.
The pen is impossibly thin right now. Right now, it seems like there are only a handful of guys we can trust to take the baseball in big moments..
Seranthony Dominguez, Corey Knebel, Brad Hand
Three guys. Thats it!
Pain.
The Phillies will look to win tomorrow and split the four game series with Atlanta with Aaron Nola on the mound. Game starts at 7:20.
Odubel Herrera puts the Phillies on the board with a solo shot in the 2nd inning.
1-0 Phils
William Contreras ties the game up in the 2nd inning with a solo shot of Ranger Suarez.
1-1 Phils
Ozzie Albies knocks in two runs with bloop a single that falls in front of Nick Castellanos. Ranger is struggling tonight.
3-2 Braves
Odubel fights off a pitch from Charlie Morton for his second RBI of the day.
4-3 Phils
Independence Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Phillies Of The Week, Jean Segura, ties the game with an RBI single into right field.
4-4 Phils
JT Realmtuto throws a ball into centerfield, while trying to throw out a stealing Dansby Swanson. Somehow the ball gets through three Phillies defenders including Odubel Herrera who is back to doing Odubel Herrera stuff.
Yikes.
5-4 Braves
Austin Riley absolutely obliterated this pitch from Jose Alvarado, in what was one of the more painful innings of this Phillies season.
6-4 Braves
Dansby Swanson with a solo shot off Andrew Bellatti increases the Braves lead in the 6th inning.
7-4 Braves
Up Next
The Phillies finish up a four game series against the division-rival Braves in Atlanta on Thursday night.
Aaron Nola (1-4, 3.96) will toe the rubber facing off against Kyle Wright (4-2, 2.49), with the first pitch scheduled for 7:20 pm.
NBC Sports will carry the broadcast of the game.
Mandatory Image Credit: TSN
