Phillies’ costly baserunning blunder highlights a rain-delayed 2-1 loss to the Dodgers

Justin Crawford stood on third base, with one out in the ninth inning, and got his instructions: Run on contact … unless the ball is hit to third.

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The ball was hit to third.

Crawford ran anyway.

“Just one of those things,” he said, “that can’t happen.”

But it wasn’t the Phillies’ worst baserunning blunder on the inexcusable double play that ended Tuesday night’s rain-delayed 2-1 loss to the Dodgers. No, that belonged to J.T. Realmuto, who conceded that he should’ve known better.

As Crawford got stuck in a rundown between home and third, Realmuto ran to third base. At worst, he should’ve been at third, with Brandon Marsh reaching second, two outs, and a chance to still win the game.

Instead, Realmuto turned back. And after the Dodgers’ Mookie Betts tagged Crawford, he fired to second base to easily catch Realmuto retreating.

All together now: Yikes.

“It was just a bad baserunning play, really,” Realmuto said. “Once Craw gets in the rundown, I’m on third base. There’s no reason for me to go back to second. Just a lack of judgment. Can’t make two outs on that play.”

But it wouldn’t have been Phillies-Dodgers in Citizens Bank Park without a pivotal play at third base in the ninth inning of a one-run game.

Think back, if you can stomach it, to Game 2 of the divisional round series last October. With the tying run on second base and nobody out, the Phillies called for Bryson Stott to bunt. Betts alertly covered third, and the Dodgers cut down Nick Castellanos for a costly out.

In this case, Crawford explained he took off from third base because Marsh hit the ball softly — 47.5 mph off the bat — to third, forcing Max Muncy to play the ball on the grass.

“I was like, OK, he cued it, so I kind of thought I’ve got a chance [to score],” Crawford said. “And by the time I realized I wasn’t going to be able to make it, it was kind of too late. Just got to make a better decision next time.”

Interim manager Don Mattingly remembered it slightly differently, noting that Crawford was told to run on contact no matter what. Either way, he stayed in the rundown long enough for the Phillies to have runners on second and third when he got tagged out.

If only Realmuto hadn’t turned back.

“I don’t know what J.T. was thinking there,” Mattingly said. “Honestly.”

Not enough, according to Realmuto.

“Maybe something I could have done better was play that in my head before it happened,“ he said. ”I think that’s something, on the base paths you have to be proactive and think of those things. I was more just trying to get a good lead, get a good jump, and score on a base hit, where I should have maybe thought through that scenario before the play.”

In any case, it was another nail-biting chapter between National League powers that couldn’t be more evenly matched. In a postseason vanquishing by the Dodgers last year, the Phillies lost three games by a total of four runs.

Zack Wheeler wasn’t involved in any of them.

We offer that as “a reminder for whoever needs to be reminded,” to use Wheeler’s line, that the Phillies will be an even tougher out this October — assuming they (a) make the playoffs and (b) can line up Cristopher Sánchez and Wheeler to start Games 1 and 2.

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Because one night after the Phillies won behind Sánchez, Wheeler subdued the Dodgers but for one pitch, a first-pitch cutter that Muncy hit into the center-field shrubbery in the fourth inning.

It was the deciding blow and the only dent in Wheeler over seven innings.

“Maybe not the best pitch in that situation,” Wheeler said. “Just because we got him on it a couple different times in that first at-bat, so he probably went up there saying, ‘You got me on this.’ He was probably just ready for it.”

Wheeler said he “second-guessed in my head” throwing another cutter to Muncy. But he also hardly ever shakes off Realmuto.

“I trust him more than anybody,” Wheeler said.

After an 80-minute rain delay at the outset, the game had a postseason feel, from the duel between Wheeler and lefty Justin Wrobleski to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts using Tanner Scott for a five-out save.

And, of course, the crazy ending.

Alec Bohm‘s two-out RBI single gave the Phillies a lead in the first inning. But they managed only three more hits against Wrobleski. He shut them down for seven innings in May at Dodger Stadium, part of a stellar first half that put him the All-Star Game.

Wheeler was irritated by being left out. Since then, he has allowed a total of three runs in 20 innings over his last three starts, a revenge tour that has lowered his already teeny-tiny ERA to 2.16 and put him squarely in the Cy Young conversation.

It seemed the game might come down to two at-bats in the eighth inning. Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper came to the plate against Scott, the Dodgers’ lefty closer. Schwarber fouled off back-to-back two-strike pitches before chasing a slider below the strike zone. Harper lined out to center field on a first-pitch slider.

And then came the improbable ending.

“A lot of times the games are going to be won by the little things,” Realmuto said. “They’ve been able to make less mistakes than we have in our series, going back to last postseason. They’re such a powerful team. But we match up well with them, I think.

“Where we have to get better is on those edges, make the small plays, make the routine plays, and not give them extra outs, not give away outs on the bases, stuff like that. It’s the little things that you have to do well to beat a team like that.”

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Phillies owner John Middleton spent months planning to host the city’s first All-Star Game in 30 years. Now that it’s over, he joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to recap his most memorable moments from the week. He also discussed the upcoming trade deadline and Field of Dreams Game in Iowa, and the future of the top of the Phillies organizational masthead. Watch here. Watch here.

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