In a rare peace offering from the MLB scheduling gods, the Phillies will be treated to a much-needed off-day Monday, giving the second-place Phils a chance to recharge ahead of their three-game set with Miami back home at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia looked like a team gasping for air in Sunday’s loss to Toronto (still playing in Dunedin while waiting for clearance to return to Canada), which concluded the Phillies’ 10-game road trip.
Tensions were high in the eighth inning when an irate Joe Girardi lit into second baseman Jean Segura for an error (his second of the game) that cost his team a chance for a double play. Predictably, Girardi was asked to address his dugout dustup with Segura after the game. However, he didn’t seem too keen on discussing it, repeatedly stonewalling Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia in a testy post-game exchange.
“You can ask all you want. You’ve got everything you’re going to get about it. I’m done with it,” said an unusually hostile Girardi, who was also grilled about his odd use of Bryce Harper (the hobbled outfielder was asked to bunt with two on and one out in the eighth inning). “I know you’re doing your job, but that’s it.”
Salisbury continued to press, but Girardi wouldn’t give an inch, refusing to shed light on his confrontation with Segura. “I’m not going to talk about it, Jimmy. Next question. If you’ve got a baseball question, ask me a baseball question.”
It’s been a frustrating few weeks for the Phillies, who have gone just 17-20 since rattling off four straight wins to begin the year. Sunday’s defeat dropped them to a dismal 8-14 away from Philadelphia. Though they’re still only a half-game out of first in the NL East, the Phillies have not played up to expectations, weathering slow starts from Alec Bohm and Andrew McCutchen, among others, while getting almost no production from the center-field position. Ironically enough, the best record in the National League right now belongs to the San Francisco Giants (24-16), who are managed by former Phillies skipper Gabe Kapler.
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