Baserunning miscue looms large for Phillies in series-opening loss to Braves
The list of concerns now includes Jesús Luzardo’s health, as he was scratched from Saturday’s start.
ATLANTA — Bryce Harper was off and running from second.
Alec Bohm had hit a grounder right to Braves shortstop Mauricio Dubón, but by the time Harper realized his mistake, it was too late. He was frozen between second and third, and Dubón had him dead to rights.
Harper was tagged out for the second out in the top of the ninth, and the Phillies’ best chance at an insurance run went up in smoke. When the Braves tied the game in the ninth, and again in the 10th, before finally walking off the Phillies, 6-5, in the 11th, the blunder cast an even longer shadow.
“Not ideal situation,” Harper said. “Yeah, need to be better.”
As Friday’s game marched into extra innings, the Phillies were unable to build a lead of more than one run. And the Braves kept punching back, before finally breaking through with an RBI double from Drake Baldwin to take the series opener in Atlanta.
The bad news for the Phillies didn’t end there. Jesús Luzardo, who almost single-handedly beat the Braves in his first career shutout last week, was scratched from his scheduled Saturday start because of shoulder stiffness.
Now, the Phillies will follow up Friday’s 11-inning game, which required five relief arms, with a bullpen game on Saturday.
Luzardo started feeling the stiffness after his 109-pitch shutout of the Braves on Sept. 4. The Phillies initially hoped he would be able to make his start but now opting fort caution. Interim manager Don Mattingly said Luzardo does not currently require time on the injured list.
“We feel like it’s safer to be careful with him and don’t want this to linger,” Mattingly said. “So it’s one of the things we want to try to take care of and just go from there.”
Friday’s loss stung all the more because the Phillies had managed to put up three runs on Braves ace Chris Sale. The second-inning rally, capped by a bases-clearing double by Derek Hill, had been their only sustained offense against him, but it was starting to look like it was all they needed.
Aaron Nola worked his way around heavy traffic for 6⅓ innings, keeping the damage to a pair of solo home runs. José Alvarado relieved him and delivered two big strikeouts of Baldwin and Ronald Acuña Jr. Rookie Alex McFarlane turned in a scoreless eighth in a big spot.
With the Phillies clinging to a 3-2 lead in the ninth, Harper’s mistake was latest in a long line of baserunning blunders the Phillies have committed in this recent stretch. And this particular play between second and third seems to be the Phillies’ kryptonite.
Alec Bohm made an identical mistake to Harper on Thursday against the Astros. Brandon Marsh did the same two weeks ago in Anaheim, Calif., and earlier this week also was doubled off at second base after misreading a liner to shortstop.
“A little bit contagious,” Mattingly said. “I don’t understand it really. But, again, we’ll just keep talking about it and working through it.”
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With Jhoan Duran unavailable after pitching back-to-back days, Jonathan Bowlan had the ninth with a one-run lead. He allowed back-to-back singles on his slider, and it didn’t help that Hill bobbled Sean Murphy’s hit to center field, allowing Mike Yastrzemski to tie the game at 4.
“Two ground balls. I mean, it’s tough, but that’s just the game,” Bowlan said. “The ground balls, they found holes, and it’s just part of it. And all you can do is take it a pitch at a time.”
After emerging earlier this season as one of the Phillies’ go-to setup arms, Bowlan has struggled in September. He has allowed a run in each of his last four appearances.
With 55 innings under his belt now, he’s already surpassed his career-high in the majors, though Bowlan said he feels like he’s holding up physically.
“I thought ball was coming out good,” Mattingly said. “Couple base hits up the middle, both sides of the bag. Yeah, we just got to keep going. He’s going through it, like hitters do or pitchers do. It’s kind of the same for me. So just got to keep working through it, and get where we got to go.”
Justin Crawford, who had been stuck on the bench for nine innings and a 47-minute rain delay before that, kept the Phillies’ hopes alive with an RBI single to lead off the 10th. But it was still not enough, as the Braves tied things back up on a sacrifice fly.
Luis Arraez’s RBI single temporarily put the Phillies back in front, 6-5, in the top of the 11th. But Ha-Seong Kim tied the game against Brooks Raley with a single before Baldwin’s double won it.
“He’s a guy that we trust that he’s not going to give in,” Mattingly said of Raley. “I think [Kim] hit a changeup, just kind of pulled it to him. Yeah, so all of our guys have been struggling a little bit out there. But we’ll get through it.”
As the Phillies left Truist Park in the early hours of Saturday morning, their list of concerns was long, and only growing. At the top is Luzardo’s health and whether some extra rest will be enough to have the lefty back to form atop the rotation as the postseason approaches.
But the Phillies’ baserunning and bullpen are not far behind.
“Definitely thought we had a chance to win that game, all around,” Harper said.
Tim Mayza was among the best, most under-the-radar Phillies stories this year. And he's coming back for more after signing a new contract last week. The Lancaster County native joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer's baseball podcast, to discuss his solid season, building a culture in the bullpen, the origin of his "Sheriff" nickname, and more. Watch here.
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