Phillies Must Learn Obvious Lesson Following Latest Non-Competitive Start
Had a thought during the first inning tonight. Unless Dave Dombrowski gets active soon, one of the following things (if not both) could happen in the coming days:
- Matt Moore makes a 10th start in a Phillies uniform.
- Vince Velasquez makes a 116th start in a Phillies uniform.
Remember, I said could happen, not should happen.
So, I asked my Twitter followers to choose their adventure. Make a pick. Moore or Velasquez. Predictably, “neither” was a popular response, but my favorite reply was this one:
Heavy Ghostbusters vibes here pic.twitter.com/L00iaPvulc
— Zen (@zengreaser) July 27, 2021
Perfect.
In typical 2021 Phillies fashion, they took the momentum of the previous night’s thrilling walk-off Andrew McCutchen homer and used it to quickly dig themselves separate 3-0 and 6-1 holes to a cooked team reportedly mulling a fire sale.
Joe Girardi always likes to say that momentum is only as good as the next day’s starting pitcher. I agree, although I’d add “and your starting shortstop’s ability to make plays” to his truism.
In this case, it wasn’t terribly surprising that Moore was tattooed for six runs, six hits, and a pair of walks over his first two innings of work by the Nationals. He also didn’t get any help from Didi Gregorius.
The scuffling shortstop was unable to record an out on what initially looked like a routine first-inning grounder off the bat of the speedy Trea Turner. The infield single would lead to one of three runs plated on this Josh Bell swing:
Josh Bell – Washington Nationals (16) https://t.co/Lrg6kXpRu4
— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) July 27, 2021
After stranding two runners in the bottom of the first, Gregorius was then unable to reel in a potential Victor Robles foul out to start the second. New life for Robles turned into a walk that would later score thanks to a two-out, three-run homer off the bat of Juan Soto.
“That’s a play he’s usually going to make and he didn’t. It’s a long run, you start to get near the fence, but it’s a play he’s capable of making,” Girardi said following the game.
Quickly down 6-1 in the second, the Phillies made a game of it. The bullpen pitched seven scoreless innings. They scored a few more runs. They had some shots late. All of those are commendable things. But the many things that ensued over the following seven innings pale in importance to the obvious thing, which is that Moore didn’t give his team a competitive start.
“It was tough. We chipped away. We got it to 6-4 and had a couple opportunities and weren’t able to come through,” Girardi said. “But when you spot someone a 6-0 lead [it was 6-1], it makes it difficult.”
Still, the loss may provide long-term value if the Phillies learn one glaringly obvious lesson from it — Moore cannot start another game for a team that fancies itself a playoff contender.
If that lesson sounds like a familiar one, it should. It’s the same lesson Phillies’ decision-makers should have learned last Saturday night after Velasquez threw 53 ineffective pitches against the Braves.
And that’s why Dombrowski needs to have an active week.
Show Your Work
One of the reasons I wasn’t a big fan of math class back in the day was because the teacher would always make us show our work. It didn’t matter how easy the problem or obvious the answer, it was proof of process or bust.
As I wrote above, the obvious answer to the Phillies’ biggest problem is that Moore doesn’t make another start.
Like an easy math problem, you don’t need the proof, but here it is anyway:
- Moore has a 6.46 ERA and 1.65 WHIP over 46 innings this season.
- In five July starts, Moore posted a 7.15 ERA while allowing 27 hits, 18 earned runs, 6 homers, and 10 walks over 22 2/3 innings of work.
- He has pitched beyond the fifth inning one time in nine starts.
First Time for Everything
With the Phillies down 6-2 in the fifth inning, Bryce Harper temporarily jump-started a sleepy Citizens Bank Park when he took Nationals starter Erick Fedde deep into the left-center alley:
🚨 BRYCE HARPER INSIDE-THE-PARK HOME RUN 🚨
(via @Phillies) pic.twitter.com/5jTOtfGrud
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 28, 2021
Harper’s 16th homer of the season was his first since July 6, putting an end to his streak of 67 plate appearances without one.
It was also his first career inside-the-park home run.
Who’s Hot, Who’s Not
Hot: Connor Brogdon has come out of the gates fast to start the second half. He’s held the opponents scoreless in all four of his appearances, allowing just two hits over 5 2/3 innings.
Not: Gregorius had another shaky fielding effort and an 0-for-4 night at the dish, including five runners left on base. His bat speed is noticeably slow right now, so it’s not hard to see why he’s just 6-for-46 (.130 BA) with only two runs batted in dating back to July 10.
Asked if Gregorius’ defensive struggles are snowballing into a slump at the plate, Girardi admitted it’s possible.
“I think it can for players — you hope that they can separate it. You’re never sure which one leads to the other, but he’s old enough and mature enough to separate it,” he said. “It just seems like he’s having a hard time finding a rhythm on both sides of the ball, and he went through that the first couple weeks of the season and then found it. He was really good. We need him to find it.”