Yes, the Dodgers are the best team in baseball, but there's no justifying a walloping like this. The offense stumbled when opportunities were available against Clayton Kershaw, the bullpen imploded again, and multiple mental mistakes doomed the Phillies.
Manager Gabe Kapler didn't have answers afterward and looked somewhat shocked himself, admitting he needed time to reflect on the disaster of a night.
"Those are things that I'll absorb and digest from the game and decide what steps to take tomorrow," Kapler said (see video).
Things began to unravel early on as the Phillies loaded the bases twice against Kershaw but failed to drive in a run. Maikel Franco caused the night's first controversy, failing to run out a ground ball that resulted in a poor throw that pulled Dodgers first baseman Max Muncy off the base. The lackluster effort ended the inning, and things spiraled out of control from there.
The Dodgers scored six runs in the fourth, putting on a clinic with a double-steal of home, a safety squeeze, and manufacturing defensive chaos for the Phils. When starter Zach Eflin finally put out the flames with the third out, several Phillies remained on the field with a look of bewilderment unaware they had finally secured a third out.
“That's another thing that's going to take some question-asking,” Kapler said. “I don't know what they knew and didn't know.”
Eflin surrendered seven runs over six innings before relievers Edubray Ramos, Yacksel Rios, and Edgar Garcia combined to allow seven runs on six hits and four walks over 1 2/3 innings. Things were so far gone that outfielder Roman Quinn was asked to record the final out of the eighth inning and pitched the ninth. He surrendered only two runs on four hits.
“When you're losing by a significant margin, you just want to turn the page and get to the next day,” Kapler said. “That's where we are right now is looking forward to the sun coming up tomorrow and getting back to work.”
The Dodgers will send Walker Buehler to the mound on Tuesday to face Vince Velasquez.
"We have to go out there and grind and get those runs in, especially against a good Dodgers team," said Bryce Harper. "We have to do the job.”
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