After a COVID scare, Roman Quinn gives the Phillies a boost in a win over the Red Sox | Extra Innings
Quinn flew to Boston on Tuesday morning to meet the Phillies for their series opener at Fenway Park. He missed one game and was cleared to return after his coronavirus test was negative.
If Phil Gosselin wasn’t a major leaguer, the West Chester native would probably be just like you and rubbing his eyes Wednesday morning, facing a long day of work after staying up to watch his Phillies win at Fenway Park.
But he is a major leaguer and Gosselin powered his favorite team to its fourth straight win Tuesday night with two RBIs and a homer over the Green Monster. It’s been a pretty cool season so far for the local guy.
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— Matt Breen (extrainnings@inquirer.com)
Quinn flew himself to Boston, then helped Phillies win
When the Phillies placed Roman Quinn on the injured list Sunday morning, it was the fourth time in 16 months that the oft-injured Quinn was sidelined.
But this time, Quinn’s IL stint lasted just one game. He moved to the injured list after telling the team’s medical staff Sunday morning that he had an earache. Neither Quinn nor the Phillies believed that he had the coronavirus, but they placed him on the COVID-19 injured list — which is reserved for players who test positive or show symptoms — as a precaution.
He completed a nasal swab and multiple saliva tests, and monitored his symptoms. Quinn said his earache was caused by seasonal allergies and was cleared Monday night.
But the Phillies had already left for Boston. So Quinn had to fly commercial Tuesday morning to meet the team.
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous,” Quinn said. “But there weren’t that many people in the airport and I made sure to keep my distance from everyone. I made sure I sanitized my hands a lot. I wore an extra face covering to make sure I didn’t expose myself. I definitely had to take those precautions.”
With Quinn cleared, he’ll have a chance to play nearly every day in center field because Adam Haseley will remain on the injured list until at least this weekend with a sprained left wrist. Phillies manager Joe Girardi, just like Gabe Kapler was, is infatuated with Quinn’s speed and talent. And now is Girardi’s chance to see it daily.
That talent showed Tuesday night. Quinn hit a game-tying single with two out in the sixth inning, promptly stole second base on the first pitch of the next at-bat, and scored the go-ahead run on a single by Andrew McCutchen.
Four nights earlier, Quinn kick-started the sweep of the Mets by scoring Friday night’s winning run. Quinn singled to start the ninth, moved to second on a single by McCutchen, and slid into home on a single by Bryce Harper. Quinn took a wide turn around third base and slid to the outside of the plate to avoid the tag from Mets catcher Wilson Ramos. J.T. Realmuto, the on-deck batter, was standing behind Ramos and telling Quinn to go for the outside part of the plate.
“I saw the ball beat me to the plate and I was like ‘I have to find a way to get under this tag,’ ” Quinn said. “Thankfully enough, I did.”
There’s no denying Quinn’s speed or talent. He can play a strong center field, has an excellent arm, and is a terror on the base paths. His biggest problem, as everyone knows, has been the time he has spent on the injured list. The Phillies are thankful that this latest stint cost him just a game and a trip on a charter plane.
“My body feels great,” Quinn said. “I’ve made sure that I stay on top of that and listen to my body and just take all the right steps that I can to prepare for the game. I’m excited.”
The rundown
The Phillies pulled off a minor trade by sending reliever Edgar Garcia to Tampa Bay. Scott Lauber has all the details, including what it means that the Phillies are receiving a “player to be named.”
Girardi had no problem with the grand slam that Fernando Tatis hit with a 3-0 count Monday night in a blowout. The homer created a bit of controversy on Tuesday as everyone seemed to weigh in on whether the Padres’ Tatis broke one of baseball’s unwritten rules. “Things happen quickly in this game. There are a lot of runs being scored right now, and I don’t feel that leads are always safe,” Girardi said.
Important dates
Today: Jake Arrieta starts against Red Sox left-hander Kyle Hart, 1:35 p.m.
Tomorrow: The Phillies play a doubleheader in Buffalo against the Blue Jays, 1:05 p.m.
Friday: Aaron Nola starts in Atlanta to begin a three-game series, 7:10 p.m.
Sunday: The Phillies play the Braves on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball,” 7:08 p.m.
Monday: The Phillies are off.
Stat of the day
There was a lot of talk Tuesday about the grand slam Tatis Jr. hit Monday night with a 3-0 count in the eighth inning of the Padres’ rout of the Texas Rangers. The Rangers said he should not have swung at the pitch, believing Tatis broke one of baseball’s many unwritten rules.
Since 1990, the Phillies have hit three homers with a 3-0 count and at least a four-run lead, according to BaseballReference.com. Aaron Rowand hit a solo homer with a 3-0 count in the fourth inning with a six-run lead in 2007, Jayson Werth hit a solo homer in the ninth inning with a four-run lead in 2010, and Maikel Franco hit a three-run homer in 2016 with a five-run lead in the eighth inning.
We’re trying to find the unwritten rule book to see if those home runs were legal.
From the mailbag
Send questions by email or on Twitter @matt_breen.
Question: When the pitch is a few inches off the plate, the catcher will “frame” the ball by moving his glove, pretending the ball came into the strike zone. Does this really fool the umpire? Is he that stupid? — Gary G. via Twitter
Answer: Thanks, Gary. Yes, it does work. But it doesn’t mean the umpire is stupid.
If a catcher is good at framing, he can steal a few strikes every night by moving pitches that just miss the strike zone. There’s an art to it, as an exaggerated movement would be obvious to the umpire. Catchers spend a lot of time working on this, and it’s why the Phillies have had two catching coaches the last few seasons.
Last season, MLB’s Statcast data ranked J.T. Realmuto as the sixth-best pitch framer in baseball. They said Realmuto saved the Phillies eight runs last season by converting balls to strikes. Austin Hedges of San Diego led the majors with 15.