I’m beginning to wonder if this team is worth it
You watched the game, there isn’t much need to review each and every play.
Instead, let’s talk about a few things.
One, the Odubel Herrera send.
Mookie Betts with the perfect throw to home plate
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/QJVx3nE87n
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 22, 2022
With the game tied at that time, the Phillies had a chance to get a few runs with the bases loaded and no one out and just…nothing. With Bryce Harper on deck after Bohm, having Herrera thrown out at home makes things look so, so much worse.
After the game, Girardi was asked about it.
“I’m OK with it,” Girardi said. “Betts made a perfect throw. If the ball is a little more at his shoe top, it’s probably a little more difficult, but it didn’t quite get down there. I’m OK with it.”
No, Joe. No.
I know that he’s trying to protect his coach and that deep down, he’s just as angered by that send as everyone else, but there has to be some kind of accountability here, even for the coaching staff. One of the things that has frustrated fans about Girardi is that when players mess up even the most basic things, there is always an excuse about it made by the manager. Again, we know that’s his job, to protect the players, but without any kind of semblance of accountability, it becomes a little frustrating to keep hearing the same thing over and over.
Another thing that crept back up was the continued struggles with Aaron Nola with two strikes. Last night, it was the same boring, the struggles caught up with them again.
Five of the seven runs given up by Phillies pitching came on 3-2 pitches. Nola gave three two-out runs on a homer and a two-run double, both with full counts. He also gave up a homer with one out and the count full.
Nola has been good this year, no doubt about that. We can kind of write this off as just a bad game against a good lineup, but these are the things that have haunted Nola each year for the past three years. He needs to consider mixing things up when he gets two strikes as it feels, at least subjectively, that whenever he does get to two strikes, a curveball or changeup is coming. Something to dig into a little more.
A frustrating night, yet again.