Did Mick Abel tip his way into a meltdown against the Mets?

The Philadelphia Phillies won 2-of-3 against the New York Mets over the weekend in South Philly but Mick Abel’s meltdown on Saturday night definitely raised some concerns.

Mick Abel’s rough night against the Mets might not have just been about bad pitching, it might’ve been about bad habits. The 22-year-old Phillies rookie got shelled on Saturday in an 11-4 loss, coughing up four home runs in just three innings.

Mets smash 7 homers, tie Phillies for 1st in NL East race

Three of those came in a row. Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, and Juan Soto went back-to-back-to-back in the third inning, sending Citizens Bank Park into a stunned silence.

Side Note: No one even threw the home run balls back onto the field. Embarrassing if you’re a Phillies fan who caught one. Have some dignity.

Anyways, there’s a growing belief that Abel may have been tipping his pitches and honestly, the evidence is pretty convincing.

Connecting the dots…

Pitching guru Rob Friedman, better known as “Pitching Ninja,” broke it down on social media. He posted video of Abel’s delivery showing a clear discrepancy in his leg kick.

• When he threw a fastball, his glove rose higher.
• When he threw offspeed stuff, his glove sat a few inches lower.

That might sound minor, but for MLB hitters, that’s like flashing a neon sign reading “Fastball coming!” And if the Mets picked up on it, that would explain why Lindor, Nimmo, and Soto swung like they knew what was coming, because they probably did.

Adding more intrigue, Nimmo was seen in the dugout after his home run making a classic “shh” gesture with his finger over his lips.

Was he telling teammates to keep quiet about Abel’s tell? If so, he didn’t do a great job. The whole internet saw it.

Mick Abel tipping pitches vs New York Mets

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Mick Abel’s Growing Pains

This was, by far, the worst start of Mick Abel’s brief big-league career and that’s saying something, considering he allowed three homers in four innings against the Cubs earlier this month.

The Phillies hoped Mick Abel could give them a shot of energy in the back half of the rotation, but so far, he’s looked more like a project than a problem-solver.

Still, if this outing was truly the result of pitch-tipping, that’s a relatively easy fix, especially for a guy with the tools Abel has. It’s one thing to get lit up when your stuff stinks. It’s another when you’re unintentionally giving hitters the answer key.

Up Next for the Phillies:

The Phillies coaching staff will almost certainly dive into this and work with Abel to clean up his mechanics. Tipping pitches is a rite of passage for young pitchers, but it’s one that needs to be corrected quickly, especially when you’re going up against a team like the Mets, who seem more than happy to exploit it.

Phillies flex in finale, take series and first place from the New York Mets

For now, Mick Abel’s got to eat the loss, study the tape, and get back to the lab. If he can fix the tell, maybe next time he’ll be the one doing the shushing.

NL East: Phillies flip the script, reclaim 1st place after being 5.5 out just 10 days ago

Thankfully, the Phillies bounced back on Sunday and took the weekend series against the Mets. They are also in first place in the National League East with a day-off today before opening up a series against the Astros in Houston tomorrow night.

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