The ground ball skipped to the mound Saturday night, the perfect result for Jose Alvarado after staring down Freddie Freeman with the game tied.
The Phillies thrusted Alvarado — the hard-throwing reliever they acquired this winter — into the seventh inning of a 5-4 loss to Atlanta, asking him to strand the runners on first and third base. It was no easy task, but Alvardo seemed to be working toward completing it as he fielded Freeman’s grounder.
And then he turned to second base, where no one was covering the bag. Didi Gregorius, standing on the grass after charging the grounder, pointed toward home plate. It was too late. Alvarado’s throw home had no chance to get Ehire Adrianza, who broke from third when Freeman made contact to score the deciding run.
It was another lapse for a team whose defensive troubles from last season continue to linger. Alvarado could have earned the second out of the inning by focusing immediately on Adrianza. Instead, his instinct was to try for an unlikely double play. And the Phillies were six outs away from a second straight loss.
The Phillies started the season with a sweep of the Braves, but that opening statement no longer seems so strong as they look Sunday night to avoid being swept in Atlanta. Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen both homered Saturday night and Gregorius put the Phillies up two runs in the first inning, but that was not enough.
Zach Eflin allowed extra-base hits to the first three batters he faced, throwing 22 pitches in a three-run first inning. The Phillies needed Eflin to give the bullpen a breather on Saturday after starters averaged less than five innings in their previous four games.
It didn’t look as if he was going to be able to, but then Eflin settled in. He pitched into the sixth inning before allowing a two-out, game-tying double to Dansby Swanson. Eflin wasn’t perfect, but he kept the Phillies in it and allowed Joe Girardi to manage his bullpen.
The Phillies continue to search for production in center field after an underwhelming spring-training competition has yielded to underwhelming in-season results.
Adam Haseley went 0 for 2 before being lifted for Roman Quinn, who went 0 for 2. Haseley, the team’s starter on opening day, has started six of the first eight games with Quinn starting the others. They’ve combined to hit just .129. Haseley has had just 19 at-bats and Quinn has 12.
The Phillies have options waiting at the alternate site as Odubel Herrera, Scott Kingery, and Mickey Moniak in Allentown. Girardi and his staff can watch a live feed of the players training there, but a move does not seem imminent.
“It’s still way too early,” Girardi said before the game. “I think when you get around 50 to 75 at-bats, you can judge a sample size a little bit. But we’ve seen really good hitters have a rough month and then seem to bounce back. But I think it’s way too early to judge them.”
Girardi started the seventh inning with Archie Bradley, who allowed the first two batters he faced to reach. Adrianza doubled and Ronald Acuna singled. Bradley retired Ozzie Albies, but the Braves still had runners on the corners with one out and Freeman coming to the plate. That was it for Bradley. Alvarado entered from the bullpen as the stadium lights darkened, seeming to make an ominous entrance as the Phillies’ night was soon dim.
