When your starting pitcher walks the second and third batters he faces, and both score. . .
When your catcher visits the mound one batter later. . .
When the number of errors your defense makes equals the number of homers your pitching allows (two). . .
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When boos of frustration and discontent from a sellout crowd of 42,846 begin rumbling down from the stands in the bottom of the first and pick up in volume and intensity as your lineup is unable to put together a credible offensive threat and becomes a full-throated howl after the final out. . .
Then you were the Phillies Tuesday night while losing your fourth straight, 5-0, to the last-place Marlins.
“(The players) are frustrated because they know we’re better than that,” manager Rob Thomson said afterward. “And our fans are very frustrated by that. We have very knowledgeable fans and they let you know when you’re not playing well. It is what it is. That’s the game.”
It’s bad enough that a team that just a month earlier had been 29 games over .500 has now dropped 17 of its last 24.
Philadelphia Phillies
It’s worse that the most recent loss came after a gauntlet of Twins and Indians and Yankees and Mariners and Dodgers and Diamondbacks. What happened Tuesday night was a listless loss at home to a team that backed up the truck in the days before the July 30 trade deadline and unloaded eight players. A team whose respected manager, Skip Schumaker, asked that the option years of his contract be voided so he can leave at the end of the season. A team that purged its front office – again – on Monday. A team that is embedded last place a year after making the playoffs, but almost always leads baseball in churn.
It’s gotten to the point that the normally taciturn Thomson, conceded that he might have to shake things up just for the sake of making a change.
“I’m getting close,” he said enigmatically. “We’ll see (Wednesday). It depends on a lot of things. It depends on our attitude and where I think the guy’s minds are at. I think, overall, they’re very solid right now (but) there’s more frustration, for sure.
“The last four haven’t been as good. We’ve got to turn it around and play better.”
Designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, one of the go-to veterans when it comes to putting matters in perspective, reacted strongly to the suggestion that change-for-the-sake-of-change is the antidote for whatever ails the Phillies right now.
“Nope. Not at all. No, no,” he said firmly. “I think the group we have is one of the most talented I’ve been around and some of the best dudes I’ve been around. We’ve assembled a really good team and a bunch of really good dudes, too.
“That’s why there’s frustration. But you’re going to see us really come together and we’re going to figure this out. And, I promise you, we’re going to be better for it at the end.”
STAT OF THE DAY: Speedy shortstop Trea Turner attempted 11 stolen bases in the first 33 games of the season, making it safely 10 times, before going on the injured list with a strained hamstring. In 26 games since being activated he’s just 4-for-4 in attempts.
“He’s healthy, okay. Let’s put that out of the way,” said manager Rob Thomson. “But he’s a little bit. . .I don’t know if the word is tentative. But he’s cautious. He doesn’t want this to happen again. And I’ve seen that from a lot of guys that have calf, quad, hamstring injuries. It takes them awhile to be confident that they can turn it loose and not re-injure themselves. That’s where he’s at, really.”
ON THE BUMP: Miami RHP Edward Cabrera (2-3, 5.20) will face RHP Tyler Phillips (4-1, 4.83) in the finale of the abbreviated Marlins series Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. The homestand concludes with four games against another non-playoff contender, the Nationals. Matchups for the Washington series: LHP Mitchell Parker (6-6, 3.83) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (11-5, 2.78) Thursday at 6:40 p.m.; LHP Patrick Corbin (2-12, 5.98) vs. RHP Aaron Nola (11-6, 3.60) Friday at 6:40, LHP MacKenzie Gore (7-10, 4.50) vs. LHP Cristopher Sánchez (8-8, 3.63) Saturday at 6:05 p.m. and RHP Jake Irvin (9-10, 3.72) vs. RHP Taijuan Walker (3-4, 5.68) Sunday at 1:35 p.m.