- Not only did the Phillies lose to their arch-rival New York Mets, 5-1, Bryce Harper got ejected by poor home plate umpire Mark Carlson. The ump had a bad night behind the plate, missing call after call, mostly against the Phils, until Harper couldn't take it anymore and yell something from the dugout. After he was tossed Harper sprinted out of the dugout and was held back from destroying Carlson by equally furious Manager Gabe Kapler.
Harper will be fined and possibly suspended for accidentally bumping Carlson. Nothing will happen to Carlson, even though it was his fault for having a terrible night.
Meanwhile, pitcher Jake Arrieta, who pitched OK but not great, later criticized Harper for being ejected and the team in general, for coming out "flat" and "not ready to play." I like Arietta's honesty but he once again throws his teammates under the bus.
The real question is why did the Phillies look so "flat" last night? It's a big series in New York against the team breathing down your neck ( The Phillies and Mets are now tied for first place in NL East). Kapler needs to be on the hot seat soon. After getting off to a 4-0 start, the team is now 12-10 and struggling. Yes, they have injuries and the lineup isn't what it was without Segura, Kingery and even Herrera. But there's no excuse for the lack of excitement and poor defense.
With the stars that the front office has given Kapler he needs to win. Going into May , unless they pick it up, the Phillies may be hovering around .500. Their schedule has been relatively easy, front-loaded with home games. They have a four-game series this weekend with lowly Miami, the start of another nine-game home stand. They need to pick it up, starting tonight in Game Two against New York.
- Tonight at the Wells Fargo Center the Sixers can close out the Brooklyn Nets with a win. Important to wrap it up at home and wait for Toronto. Nets' punk Jerad Dudley should get booed like hell after his Game Four confrontation with Joel Embiid ( who is "probable" to play).
No comments:
Post a Comment