Gamethread 9/15: Cubs at Phillies

Apathy sets in

We are reaching the point in the year where if the team is not going to make the playoffs, apathy sets in. No longer caring about the team, we decide that vitriol and hate should be spewed forth to help release the anger we have about this team. This anger gives rise to one of the facts about this team that is almost indisputable:

The 2021 Phillies might be the most unlikable iteration of this team in many a moon.

They have some popular players for sure. Scan a crowd during any game during the season and you will find a plethora of #3 jerseys/shirseys around the stadium. Bryce Harper has been the most popular player on the team since the minute he first decided to sign here. There are plenty of other fan favorites, but the vibe this team puts off during most parts of the season lends itself to a sense of “I don’t really care” among the players. It’s nonsense to say this of course. These men are too proud to not complete care about their performance on the field. For some, that performance will help determine the next number that gets written on their paychecks. For others, there is a sense of pride about how they are perceived by the fanbase and national media in general.

Still, between the Covid outbreak in July, the present failures of the team to string together anything resembling winning baseball of late and the strange and ponderous decisions made by the manager, there just doesn’t seem to be a streak of likeability running through the Citizens Bank Park dugout. You know what could help that?

WINNING BASEBALL GAMES AGAINST THE TEAMS THAT YOU SHOULD BE BEATING WITH REGULARITY!!!!!!

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Cubs:

Let’s talk about it.