Phillies manager Don Mattingly can't win with Edmundo Sosa punishment

The Philadelphia Phillies lost in standard heartbreaking fashion on Tuesday evening, dropping the first game of their series against the Houston Astros, 6-5. The Phillies entered the bottom of the ninth with a two-run deficit, but quickly drew within one on a clutch, pinch-hit RBI double from Edmundo Sosa.

That put the tying run in scoring position with zero outs. In an all too familiar twist of fate, the Phillies could not get him home. Upon further evaluation, however, Sosa did not sprint out of the box. Instead, he stood and watched for a moment as the fly ball careened off the right-center fence. What could have been a stand-up triple turned into a stand-up double, which meant Sosa had an extra 90 feet to cover. The game probably ends differently — or at least goes to extra innings — if Sosa hustles out of the box.

Edmundo Sosa's base-running gaffe could cost the Phillies in postseason race

It's hard to overstate how thin the Phillies' margin for error is right now. The Phillies are four games behind Atlanta in the NL East with less than three weeks remaining in the regular season. Philadelphia also holds a tenuous half-game lead over the Cubs for the final NL Wild Card spot. Every game counts from here on out.

If the Phillies end up a game behind Chicago, that means playing their Wild Card series on the road, without a raucous home fan base behind them. If Philly can't close the gap with Atlanta in their series later this week, folks are going to look back to this game — a winnable game, undercut by base-running tomfoolery — and wonder what could have been.

Philadelphia has the best pitching staff in baseball over the past two months. This team has an incredibly high floor because of that. It's the lineup, however, that has a tendency to disappear in big moments, or undercut said moments with silly mistakes.

Sosa was not the only Phillie to commit a costly base-running mistake on Tuesday either. Brandon Marsh was caught dead between second and third base in the seventh inning after he failed to tag on a line-drive catch by Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña. Marsh apologized profusely and took accountability postgame.

Sosa also confessed his disappointment in himself, but Don Mattingly's comments perfectly encapsulate how every Phillies fan felt in the moment.

"I was a little surprised when I looked up, where [Sosa] was at," the manager told reporters (h/t Phillies Nation). "Because usually, that ball comes off that far, you’re thinking three there. Ball’s up in the air a little bit, too. I didn’t see it, but I was thinking, I was wondering why he really wasn’t as far as he should have been."

Edmundo Sosa leaves Don Mattingly with an impossible decision

Typically the favored reponse of boomers and malcontents when a player refuses to hustle is simple: bench him!

That does not apply so easily with Sosa, however, because the Phillies' utility man already comes off the bench. He's typically a platoon bat against left-handed pitching or a pinch-hitter late in games. He goes two or three games without playing often enough; "benching" him accomplishes little.

Mattingly could phase Sosa out of the game plan entirely, but that does not really solve anything. Sosa is Philadelphia's only serviceable backup infielder. Bryan De La Cruz and Derek Hill can pinch hit and handle platoon duties in the outfield, but Sosa is red hot.

In 15 games between August and September, he's 14-for-38 (.368) with a 1.113 OPS and seven extra-base knocks. He has come up clutch on several occasions, including a go-ahead ninth inning grand slam against the Angels on Aug. 29.

And including Tuesday night! Lest we forget, the base-running error still resulted in a no-out, RBI double that put the tying run in scoring position. Had the Phillies come up with a single hit to the outfield, or even a couple long fly balls, we'd be having a totally different conversation. This would be a non-issue.

The blame lies as much with the Phillies' hitters behind Sosa as it does with Sosa himself. If Mattingly wants to make a point, it will need to be a verbal one — a hard talking-to in practice, or whatever. With so much on the line, the Phillies can't afford to sacrifice Sosa's bat. We have moved past benching guys for a brain fart, and Sosa has never had an effort problem. He probably learned his lesson in the moment.

Mattingly will need to hear from angry fans, but this can all blow over if the Phillies start winning ballgames again.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow