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PHILADELPHIA – Joe Girardi makes even the Phillies’ worst defeats. It’s a manager’s job to make things sound better than they are, even when the team is playing poorly.
But Girardi couldn’t hide his frustrations following Friday night’s 11-2 loss to the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park to fall 4 1/2 games behind the Braves (75-65) in the National East League with 21 games to play. The Phillies (71-70) have lost four in a row and six of their last eight. They don’t hit or throw well. Maybe his irritation is there. Or maybe it is something else. Perhaps it is a lack of urgency or a lack of agitation.
Or just a lack of Something.
“I’m not going to go into this publicly,” Girardi said. “But we’ll take care of it.
“I’m not happy. I hate to lose.
Phillies right fielder Bryce Harper said he understands why Girardi seems as frustrated as he has been since taking over as manager in 2020.
“It’s definitely justified,” Harper said. “We’ve just been beaten by the Colorado Rockies twice. We just had a blast actually. Definitely justified by the way he feels. The irritation is there. The embarrassment is there too. It’s not good. The way we are approaching the game is just not good. It’s not good the way our hitters go, our shots, everything. It’s just not good. Not immediately.
“We just have to be better. I have said it so many times. I am sorry to repeat it, but it is the simple truth. We have to be better. Our pitch must be better. Our shot must be better. Playing every day has to be better. Guys play everyday. I think being a team, being a whole, not caring about individual numbers, not caring if you’re a free agent or if you’re in your first year of [arbitration] or second year of arb or something like that. You can’t worry about all of this. You have to care about us as a team, as a whole. What we can do to improve the Phillies.
The Phillies have scored three points or less in each of the team’s last six losses. Harper is doing his part. He almost single-handedly maintains the Phillies’ relevance as he prepares his case for the National League MVP award. But last week hardly anyone else knocked.
Harper (1,215) Jean Segura (.889) and Brad Miller (.857) are the only three Phillies with more than 20 home plate appearances in the last eight games and a .656 OPS or better. Behind them are Didi Gregorius (.655), Andrew McCutchen (.619), JT Realmuto (.483), Ronald Torreyes (.432) and Odúbel Herrera (.385). Gregorius scored in the ninth to score the Phillies’ first point. He then donned the team’s home run hat, which some considered a bad look given the circumstances. Girardi said he didn’t care. He has other concerns.
But that same attack has scored seven or more points in seven straight games from August 26 to September 2.
What the hell has happened since?
“We have guys at the base and maybe we’re trying to hit the ball a little too much over the fence, instead of just trying to get a guy to pass,” Harper said. “We can’t keep leaving the guys there.”
Rockies right-hander Germán Márquez pitched six scoreless innings. He had a 7.77 ERA in his previous five starts. When asked what makes it so effective, Girardi replied, “I don’t know.” When asked if he was not happy with his players’ strikes, the skipper replied: “I am just unhappy with the way we are playing.
He is not alone. Harper yelled a curse after lining up for left field in the third, blocking a runner in the second. He slammed his helmet off after swinging a strike in the fifth, blocking two more runners.
“I feel like I have to get the job done in this situation,” Harper said. “But overall, we just have to be better. I’ve said this several times over the past three, four, five weeks. We don’t have time to sit and wait and see what’s going to happen. We have to win games. We have to beat the teams when they enter our stadium. We cannot be embarrassed as we have done this evening and this late in the season.
The Phillies positioned themselves to need a 2007 style comeback to win the NL East. Consider this: If the Braves stumble on a 10-12, they’ll have 85 wins. The Phillies should finish 14-7 to tie.
They haven’t played better than 13-8 in a 21-game streak this season.
“We just have to be within striking distance when we get to Atlanta,” Harper said. “If we can do that, if we can be within striking distance as we embark on this final road trip and get back to the way we’re playing right now, we’ll be fine. I’m not afraid of it.
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