The Phillies Need To Stop Blowing Leads
Sometimes it’s tough being a Phillies fan. They find new ways to lose every game. It could be the Mets coming back from a 7-1 deficit. That was a good one. Or, the Padres shutting them out in two out of three games. Or, it could be tonight when they blow a 4-1 lead to the Dodgers. Whether the offense is stagnant and the pitching is decent, or the hitters go nuts and the pitchers collapse, one thing is for sure, the Phillies need to stop blowing leads.
Tonight’s contest began very well. Aaron Nola looked somewhat like his 2018 self, as he piled up nine strikeouts over 5.1 innings. The only problem was, he gave up four runs in the process. The offense looked great through the first four frames, putting up four runs on a pair of homers by Alec Bohm and Rhys Hoskins, as well as an RBI double from Jean Segura. However, they went ice cold after that and didn’t collect a hit over the last five innings. Suffice it to say, things went from good, to bad, to worse.
José Alvarado was the main culprit in tonight’s meltdown, as he surrendered two runs on two hits and a walk in 0.2 innings, giving the Dodgers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Jeurys Familia gave up a solo shot to Austin Barnes in the ninth for good measure, and it was lights out for the Phils.
To be quite frank, it was tough to watch. A classic Phillies loss. They didn’t just let their opponents get out to a huge early lead and never look back. That would be regular bad. The Phillies have their own special brand of bad. They give you some hope early on. Say, oh I don’t know, a 4-1 lead in the fourth inning. And then, they let their opposition slowly chip away at it. Two runs in the fifth. Another in the sixth to tie it. Two more in the eighth to make sure they’re losing, and then one last dagger in the ninth just to make sure fans didn’t get any ideas.
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It’s quite masterful if you think about it. Every year we keep coming back for more punishment. Always convincing ourselves that this time it’ll be different. And hey, we’re only a quarter of the way through the season. Things could turn out differently. I earnestly hope they do. But, if they are going to right the ship, the Phillies need to stop blowing leads.