Right around eight years old, baseball players learn the importance of not giving opponents extra outs.

You know the scene. Coach huddles up the squad, talks about only giving ’em three. Some kids are dialed in and ready to go. Other kids have no idea what the hell is going on. They are just ready for some Pizza Hut.

Either way, that early baseball lesson is true — errors and sloppy play not only cause a pitcher to needlessly work harder, but the baseball gods do not smile favorably upon such defensive generosity.

So, if you’ve played, coached, or watched the game long enough, you knew the Phillies were totally screwed in the fourth inning of their eventual 6-1 loss to the Reds. You felt it at your core the second Cincinnati’s Tyler Naquin beat a tentative Brad Miller to the first base bag on what should have been the first out of the inning.

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1426333570432442369?s=20


Two batters later, Joey Votto tapped into the Fountain of Youth again by drilling a three-run homer out to right-center off Phillies starter Zack Wheeler.

The baseball gods had spoken, and a slumping Phillies lineup was buried in an early hole.

After the game, Wheeler did the good teammate thing by minimizing the impact of both Miller’s play and the ensuing ill-fated pitch to Votto, but there’s no doubt it changed the trajectory of a promising outing that began with three straight scoreless innings.

The Phillies’ latest defensive gaffe provided an unnecessary reminder of an inconvenient truth. Despite their recent climb up the division standings, they remain a poor defensive baseball team. Occasionally, they devolve into an abysmal one.

Both the eye test and a glance at any sampling of defensive metrics will confirm this reality. But it’s not a lack of soft hands or limited range that hurts them most. The Phillies’ propensity to hand teams additional outs due to lapses in both situational awareness and focus is their most troublesome characteristic.

As the three-team NL East “race” nears the stretch run, they must find a way to make the easy play if they are going to be the team that stumbles across the finish line in first.

As one (presumably) drunk fan sarcastically pointed out during the ninth inning, “At least the Mets are Losin’!”

Your 2021 NL East, everybody.

Donuts

You can’t win if you don’t score. And right now, the Phillies aren’t scoring.

They were almost shut out for the second time in three games and have managed just 1.6 runs per game while hitting a collective 27-for-152 (.178 BA) dating back to their 3-0 win over the Mets last Sunday.

Reds starter Tyler Mahle out-dueled Wheeler, cruising through seven innings. He allowed just three total baserunners. Only one of them reached scoring position.

The Phillies didn’t fare any better against the Reds bullpen.

“We’re just not hitting right now,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said of his suddenly scuffling team. “We’ve got to get going, obviously. You’ve got to score some runs, but right now, we’ve got some guys that are just struggling a little bit. Tomorrow is a new day.”

With Matt Moore carrying a hefty 6.79 ERA into his start against the National League’s second-highest scoring lineup tomorrow afternoon, the Phillies need their bats to wake up. And fast.

If you’re looking for some optimism after this one, there is a recent precedent for a quick turnaround.

Two weeks ago, the Phillies scored just two total runs during a pair of losses to the Pirates. They followed those quiet offensive performances with a 15-run outburst that kickstarted a five-game stretch in which they scored 8.6 runs per game.

Bohm Down Again

Alec Bohm sat for the third time in four games. His lone start during that stretch came at first base, and, you may have heard, it did not go well.

Before Friday night’s game, Girardi talked about Bohm’s struggles and his decision to roll with Ronald Torreyes at third base.

For what it’s worth, Bohm, who is just 4-for-22 with nine strikeouts after a pinch-hit groundout to end the game, took extensive pregame reps at both corners.

He could find himself at either spot at some point this weekend, but a quick rebound will be critical if he hopes to stay on the field down the stretch.

Rhys Hoskins is eligible to come off the 10-day injured list prior to Tuesday’s game. Freddy Galvis, who took grounders and did some running work pregame, is thought to be close to a return.

The combination of Galvis and Torreyes could steal starts from Bohm at third while also providing Girardi with in-game flexibility as potential defensive replacements.

Harper Ejected

It was a pretty quiet night for Bryce Harper. Well, until the ninth inning.

Harper ended the night 1-for-4 before home plate umpire Ramon De Jesus ejected him for barking about the strike zone.

https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1426363093546946565?s=20