PHILADELPHIA _ At best, it was a humiliating highlight, something to laugh about when it gets played in one of those ballpark blooper videos. At worst, it was a costly error in judgment.
Either way, it symbolized another rough night for the Phillies.
Wilson Ramos isn't the fastest runner when he's healthy, and these days, he's far from healthy. The veteran catcher is dealing with two cranky hamstrings, one of which sidelined him for the latter half of July with the Tampa Bay Rays and the first two weeks of August after they traded him to the Phillies. So, when he tried to go from first to third on a single down the right-field line with nobody out and the Phillies trailing by three runs in the sixth inning Monday night, well, he was doomed. And sure enough, Ramos got thrown out easily, the last 50 feet of his slog appearing to happen in slow motion.
The Phillies didn't stand much chance against the Washington Nationals, either. Yes, they tied the game with a two-run rally in the third inning. But given the way they gave away outs, either with a porous shift or pitcher Zach Eflin's errant throw to home plate, a 5-3 loss in front of a tepid announced crowd of 21,261 was hardly a surprise.
It marked the Phillies' seventh consecutive series-opening loss. They haven't won any of the previous six series. They have gone 7-13 since a four-game sweep of the Miami Marlins earlier this month. After that series, Fangraphs.com gave them a 54.1 percent chance to win the National League East and a 70 percent chance to make the playoffs. Entering Monday night, those odds were down to 35.9 percent and 44.8 percent, respectively.
Let's pause, though, for a reality check: The Phillies lost 96 games last season and have averaged 90 losses per year since 2011. The notion that they would arrive at almost the doorstep of September and be even 3 { games out of first place _ with seven games remaining against the division-leading Atlanta Braves _ with a flawed roster is too unbelievable not to be recognized for as long as it lasts.
"I actually think we're in a perfectly good spot right now," general manager Matt Klentak said before the game. "We are three games out of the division, we are two games out of the wild card and we are a team that has lost 90-plus games three years in a row and hasn't been to the playoffs since 2011. ... We get hot and play well in September, we can do some damage and play some October baseball. That is the goal for these players, for this coaching staff and for this organization."
Surely, though, they will have to play better than this.
After rallying to score twice in the third inning on a triple by Roman Quinn and an RBI single by Cesar Hernandez _ who were shuffled to the leadoff and No. 3 spots in the lineup by manager Gabe Kapler _ the Phillies literally threw away the go-ahead run in the fourth inning. Eflin loaded the bases on a single and two walks, then fielded Stephen Strasburg's tapper in front of the plate and flipped it over Ramos' head, allowing one run to score. Two batters later, the Nationals increased the lead to 4-2 on Trea Turner's single.
The Phillies recorded only six hits, including Rhys Hoskins' solo homer in the eighth inning that cut the deficit to 5-3. But after several months of manufacturing offense by drawing walks and waiting patiently for pitches to drive, they have become too reliant on home runs to generate offense.
And that's likely what causes a slow-footed _ and sore-legged _ catcher to believe he can go from first to third when it would be best for everyone involved to simply stop at second base.
