News

Phillies Waste Aaron Nola’s Brilliant Effort, Lose Fourth-Straight Game

By Bob Wankel

Published: Jul 31st, 2018 · 12:14 AM EDT

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What do you want to do? Do you want to talk about the offense? You know, the offense that has scored three runs over its last 31 innings? The offense that has scored seven runs during the Phillies’ season-worst four-game losing streak? No? Same. There’s not much else to say. A team that too often doesn’t hit enough scored a whopping single run after squandering multiple scoring chances early on. Scoring chances like this one:

What the….. pic.twitter.com/2WajC9LKqo

— Marc Farzetta (@MarcFarzetta) July 30, 2018

Terrible base running all around here, but I’m numb to their stupidity at this point, so let’s talk about Carlos Santana. Great game. Clutch all night. It’s a shame that the $20 million man couldn’t draw a walk there, or in the 10th inning with two men on and two out, or in the 13th inning after Odubel Herrera led off with a walk. I’m sure he’ll get that clutch free pass in the second tonight, though.

“OMG. But he walks. You don’t understand baseball. He’s a professional…”

Save it. He’s been a total zero for multiple prolonged stretches this season. Even the staunchest Santana apologist had to cringe at his unproductive at-bats.

Still, the Phillies should’ve won this game with the one run choked out by an impotent offense. Aaron Nola, who has been of the best pitchers in baseball all season, went into Fenway Park and went next level by dominating the game’s best offense over eight innings. But they didn’t win with that lone run because the Phillies’ defense, which has repeatedly demonstrated an inability to complete routine plays, once again managed to make an untimely head-scratching and mind-numbing blunder:

It’s not too late… #BeBold #OdubelHerrera pic.twitter.com/7TOiNQhuH6

— Mr. Matt (@matt_m19) July 31, 2018

Just how bad has this team’s defense been this season? Let’s see:

Most Defensive Runs Saved – Teams
Brewers 98
Diamondbacks 95
Cubs 51
Braves 50
Yankees 42

Fewest Defensive Runs Saved- Teams
Phillies -88
Orioles -68
Mets -58
Pirates -53

— SIS (@SportsInfo_SIS) July 30, 2018

How Nola didn’t go into the clubhouse after the game and unleash HELL on his teammates is beyond me. I know it’s not his nature, but it is probably about time someone does. After getting shut down by David Price and the Red Sox bullpen for 11 consecutive innings, the game finally ended when Luis Garcia didn’t seem to care about his inherited runner on first base, and then this happened:

It’s July and the @RedSox already have 75 wins. 👀 #walkoff pic.twitter.com/kxvJgzyIvL

— MLB (@MLB) July 31, 2018

Great night. The Phillies now lead the National League East by a half-game game over the Braves. Maybe this is a brief four-game Fruit of the Loom shart by a team that is poised for a rebound. Maybe it’s the early stages of the anticipated regression we assumed was coming all along. I don’t know, but if the Phillies continue to play like this, enjoy first-place while it lasts, which may be mere hours.

Oh, and by the way, the trade deadline is at 4 p.m. today. I would opine that Matt Klentak should probably do something to acknowledge that they are, in fact, somehow, in first-place. But it feels like the ship has already sailed on adding a meaningful difference-maker to this roster. Wait. What’s that you say? Oh, yes.

According to a source, the Nationals are making it known to other teams that Bryce Harper is indeed available.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) July 31, 2018

A boy can dream.