Metstradamus - Defense Matters ... For Better Or Worse

 

By metstradamus | June 27, 2021 4:40 pm

So we get to the second inning in Sunday’s game, and I’m already thinking of a narrative for today’s post, which is to say that defense matters. What we’ve learned about the previous three games in this series is that the team that has played better defense has won. The Phillies defense has been more of the measuring stick than the Mets defense. When the Phillies have played good defense, such as when Andrew McCutchen robbled Albert Almora Jr. during the second game on Friday, they have won. When they have played terrible defense, which has been the other two games, they have lost. In this game of increasing “three true outcomes”, defense might not matter as much, but it has been the new market inefficiency. And if you can’t field, boy will it show more in this modern game.

Marcus Stroman labored through a long first inning on a hot day, but was saved by diving catches by Michael Conforto and Kevin Pillar. Then in the bottom of the first, the Phillies let a Francisco Lindor fly ball drop fair and hop into the stands for a ground rule double, and then Pete Alonso grounded a single to right field. That’s when the narrative turned.

Lindor was not sent to the plate by Gary DiSarcina (which we will get to later), and was stranded at third base. Then, as we hoped for a quicker inning for Stroman in the second than in the first, instead we opened a portal to hell. With runners on first and second, Zack Wheeler dropped down a sacrifice bunt and Stroman had no choice but to hurl it to first, where Jeff McNeil was covering. But McNeil, in a play that second basemen covering first will make 999 times out of 1,000 (no, this is not a scientific number, leave me alone.) But McNeil just flat out dropped it and the bases were loaded with one out.

To continue reading, click here.