The Philadelphia Phillies experienced consecutive nights of costly baserunning mistakes against the Los Angeles Dodgers, drawing criticism from broadcasters and their own manager. The miscues contributed to the Phillies losing two of three games in the series.
On Wednesday, the Phillies committed another head-scratching blunder in the fifth inning. With Trea Turner at bat against Dodgers pitcher Eric Lauer, Bryson Stott, who had started the play at second base, was tagged out at third on a fielder's choice. Dodgers commentators Joe Davis and Orel Hershiser expressed disbelief, with Davis asking, "What are these guys doing?"
The Dodgers capitalized on the momentum shift, taking the lead in the following inning and ultimately winning the game 9-5. This defeat followed a 2-1 loss on Tuesday, which was decided by an equally embarrassing double play.
During Tuesday's game, catcher J.T. Realmuto was the final out after failing to return to second base. He could have remained at third base as the runner in front of him, Justin Crawford, was caught in a rundown between third and home. Manager Don Mattingly did not hold back his disappointment, stating, "I don’t know what JT was thinking."
The Phillies secured a 10-7 victory in the first game of the series on Monday night, but the subsequent baserunning errors overshadowed the series win. Despite these recent incidents, Stott has been a consistent performer for the Phillies this season. Through 96 games, he has recorded a .251 batting average with seven home runs and 17 stolen bases.
The Phillies are scheduled to host the New York Yankees for a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park this weekend. They are set to face Yankees pitchers Will Warren, Cam Schlittler, and Ryan Weathers.