When your starting pitcher walks the second and third batters he faces and both score…
When your catcher visits the mound one batter later…
If the number of errors your defense makes is equal to the number of home runs your pitching allows (two)…
When, in the second half of the first inning, the frustrated and dissatisfied boos of a sellout crowd of 42,846 echo down from the stands, increasing in volume and intensity as your team fails to mount a credible offense, and become a loud howl after the final out…
Then on Tuesday night you were the Phillies, losing your fourth game in a row 5-0 to the last-place Marlins.
“(The players) are frustrated because they know we’re better,” manager Rob Thomson said afterward. “And our fans are very frustrated because of that. We have very knowledgeable fans and they tell you when you’re not playing well. That’s the way it is. That’s the game.”
It’s bad enough that a team that was 29 games over its .500 record just a month ago has now lost 17 of its last 24 games.
Worse still, the latest loss came after a gauntlet of losses against the Twins, Indians, Yankees, Mariners, Dodgers and Diamondbacks. What happened Tuesday night was a listless home loss to a team that gave it its all and traded eight players in the days leading up to the July 30 trade deadline. A team whose respected manager, Skip Schumaker, asked to waive the option years on his contract so he could leave at the end of the season. A team that purged its front office on Monday — again. A team that is in last place a year after making the playoffs but almost always sheds the most players in baseball.
It got to the point where the usually taciturn Thomson admitted that he might just need to shake things up for the sake of change.
“I’m getting closer,” he said mysteriously. “We’ll see (on Wednesday). It depends on a lot of things. It depends on our attitude and what I think the guys are thinking. I think overall they’re very solid right now, (but) there’s definitely more frustration.”
“The last four were not so good. We have to turn things around and play better.”
Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, one of the most experienced experts when it comes to putting things in perspective, reacted strongly to the suggestion that change for the sake of change is the antidote to everything that is currently ailing the Phillies.
“Nope. Not at all. No, no,” he said firmly. “I think our group is one of the most talented that I know of, and it’s made up of some of the best guys that I know of. We’ve put together a really good team and a lot of really good guys.”
“That’s why there is frustration. But you’ll see that we really come together and solve the problem. And I promise you that we will be better at the end.”
STATS OF THE DAY: Speedy shortstop Trea Turner attempted to steal bases 11 times in the first 33 games of the season and made 10 safe attempts before going to the injured list with a hamstring strain. In the 26 games since being activated, he has completed just 4 of 4 attempts.
“He’s healthy, OK. We need to get that clear,” manager Rob Thomson said. “But he’s a little bit… I don’t know if that’s the word cautious. But he’s cautious. He doesn’t want that to happen again. And that’s what I’ve seen with a lot of guys who have calf, quad or hamstring injuries. They need a while to feel confident that they can let it go and not get injured again. That’s where he is right now.”
UPDATED: Miami RHP Edward Cabrera (2-3, 5.20) faces RHP Tyler Phillips (4-1, 4.83) in the finale of the shortened Marlins series on Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. The home series ends at four games against another non-playoff contender, the Nationals. Washington series pairings: LHP Mitchell Parker (6-6, 3.83) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (11-5, 2.78) on Thursday at 6:40 p.m.; LHP Patrick Corbin (2-12, 5.98) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (11-6, 3.60) Friday at 6:40 p.m., LHP MacKenzie Gore (7-10, 4.50) vs. LHP Cristopher Sánchez (8-8, 3.63) Saturday at 6:05 p.m. and RHP Jake Irvin (9-10, 3.72) vs. RHP Taijuan Walker (3-4, 5.68) Sunday at 1:35 p.m.
