July 23, 2023 - BY Admin

Phillies fielders let Guardians fly ball drop for run as losing streak hits four

The Philadelphia Phillies' losing streak hit four games Saturday after a classic case of miscommunication between three fielders led to the Cleveland Guardians' lone run in a 1-0 victory. Cleveland scored with two outs in the sixth, when José Ramírez’s short fly fell between second baseman Bryson Stott, center fielder Brandon Marsh and right fielder Nick Castellanos. Rosario capitalized on the mistake, racing around from first and spoiling a strong outing by Philadelphia starter Zach Wheeler. The right-hander pitched seven innings, allowing five hits while striking out eight in his first loss since May 22, against Arizona. Castellanos blamed himself and Marsh for the ball dropping, explaining, “It’s our responsibility to take charge and not assume the infielder is going to make the play. Stott said he thought he heard one of the outfielders call him off “at the very end,” but stressed, “It was unfortunate, just one of those weird plays that we haven’t had all season.” Guardians rookie Tanner Bibee struck out eight in seven dominant innings as the Phillies fell two games out of a wild-card spot.