headtopics
Its concerning that the little things the Phillies and Dodgers did were quite the contrast The Phillies lost two out of three to Los Angeles.
Write that off as happenstance, except they are less than a year removed from a playoff loss to LA, where the little things proved decisive too.
The Phillies lost two out of three to Los Angeles.
Write that off as happenstance, except they are less than a year removed from a playoff loss to LA, where the little things proved decisive too.
Phillies pitcher Aaron Nola ran into trouble in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday.
They are often overlooked, and often deservedly so.
The little things are the last bastion of managers, players, and fans when a team doesnt do the big things very well.
They are a coping mechanism.Often.
But not always.
We cant ignore the little things anymore when it comes to the Phillies.
The little things cost them dearly in losing two out of three to the Dodgers.You might write that off as happenstance, except that the Phillies are less than a year removed from a playoff loss to the Dodgers where the little things proved decisive.get thrown out at third with no outs in the top of the ninth inning while representing the game-tying run.
We sawThese werent your average, everyday bad bounces and tough breaks.
They were the kind of plays that leave you trembling at the heavens.You dont expect to see something like that in a baseball game.
You certainly dont expect to see it again.
The most disconcerting thing about the Phillies series loss to the Dodgers wasnt the mistakes.
It was that the mistakes looked remarkably similar to the ones they made while losing last years National League Division Series to the Dodgers.The lasting image from this weeks series was Realmuto running from third base back to second base as everyone else stares in disbelief.
Realmutos game-ending gaffe on the basepaths in the ninth inning on Tuesday was only the most iconic moment.
Other consequential miscues included:running into a non-forceout at third base on a ground ball hit in front of him in Wednesdays 9-5 loss.Turner made up for his rough defensive showing by driving in five runs during the Phillies 10-7 win on Tuesday.
But even that victory ended in inglorious fashion, with closerPhillies Extra Q&A: John Middleton on All-Star Game highlights, firing Rob Thomson, and the trade deadline Its bad enough to fail at the little things.
Its devastating when your opponent does the exact opposite.For all the bellyaching about the Dodgers payroll and the competitive behemoth that Andrew Friedman has built, the reality is theyd be an enviable organization even without their limitless capital.
Its true in the front office, where LA has made a habit of finding pitching like lefty Justin Wrobleski and is currently paying Max Muncy the same amount as the Phillies are paying Adolis Garcia.
Its also true in between the white lines.
Baserunning?The Dodgers entered Thursday tied for second in the majors in extra bases taken and ranked fifth in efficiency.
They also had the second-fewest outs on the basepaths.
The Phillies rank 11th in extra bases but 24th in efficiency.
Situational hitting?The Dodgers rank 12th in productive out percentage.
They have 19 pinch hits compared with the Phillies nine.
Phillies pitcher Alex McFarlane made his major league debut on Wednesday.
He survived an All-Star-heavy order.Fielding? The Dodgers have committed just 37 errors, tied for the fewest in the majors.
Advanced metrics rank them even further as one of the better fielding teams in the majors.
Not so for the Phillies.The Phillies have committed 50, which ranks 14th.
The bigger the games, the bigger the little things become.
Its hard to blame Mattingly for a problem that predates him.
That said, he is the one who needs to figure out a fix before another October arrives.spent 16 years as a general manager with the Reds and Nationals before becoming an MLB analyst and commentator.And with the trade deadline approaching Aug.
3 at 6 p.m.
he joined Phillies Extra to discuss the Phillies needs, some potential targets, and what its like to be a GM in the frenzied days leading up to the deadline.