Things were going just fine and dandy with Ricky Nolasco on the mound for Tuesday's matchup in Philadelphia. That was before the wrath of John Mayberry, Jr. was unleashed on the Fish, capped by his walkoff grand slam off of Edgar Olmos in the 11th inning.
Nolasco Cruises Early, Falters Late
Through the first six innings, Ricky Nolasco was cruising and appeared to be leading the Fish to victory. Unfortunately for Nolasco, the seventh inning happened.
In the seventh, Nolasco gave up doubles to Ryan Howard, Delmon Young, and pinch-hitter Erik Kratz that left the Phils tied at 2-2 going into the 8th. Up until that point, Nolasco was sharp with his command, and particularly his breaking ball, but just a couple of pitches left up in the zone knocked him out of the game in a hurry.
Perhaps the finest moment of the seventh inning came on Fox Sports Florida's replay of Nolasco right before being taken out of the game, as you could read his lips saying "WHY, GOD ******." It happens, Ricky. It happens.
#UmpShow
The most bizarre play of the game came in the eighth inning, when second base umpire Bob Davidson ruled that Phillies' outfielder Ben Revere had interfered with Derek Dietrich during a double play turn, thus resulting in both runners being called out. The play was a big break for the Marlins, as it appeared on replay that Revere hadn't even touched Dietrich, let alone interfere with the turn. Revere also slid in head-first for some reason, which became the source of Tommy Hutton's fury during the broadcast.
Phillies fans booed for just about the entire inning after the play. After the game, Revere said that Davidson "needs glasses." Manager Charlie Manuel added that Davidson is "getting a little old." Charlie Manuel is nearly 70 years old. This may very well be the biggest diss on an umpire that we've heard this season. Tune in next week for the MLB Roast of Bob Davidson, with the Roastmaster General himself, Charlie Manuel!
Redmond's Curious Decision
The bottom of the 11th would be the last inning of this particular baseball game, and one decision that perhaps turned the game in favor of the Phillies was Mike Redmond's curious decision to intentionally walk Freddy Galvis with two outs.
With lefty Edgar Olmos on the mound, Redmond decided to intentionally walk Galvis with two outs and a runner on second to get to catcher Erik Kratz. I understand that the move set up a force at any base, but it also gave what was likely the easiest out of the inning in Galvis (at .239/.291/.422) a free pass to get to one of Philadelphia's hottest hitters of late. After the intentional walk, Olmos walked Kratz on four pitches to load the bases.
That would bring up 10th inning hero John Mayberry, Jr., and well, we know by now how that turned out. The bottom line is that Redmond's decision to walk Galvis wasn't the right move and the Marlins paid for it. What's worse is that Olmos' family was in attendance to watch him for the first time as a major leaguer. What a bummer, man.
Looking Ahead
The Marlins close out their series with the Phillies on Wednesday, before an off day on Thursday. Coincidentally, Thursday is the first day of this year's MLB Draft and we'll have great live coverage for you here at Fish Stripes. That means you should come hang out and talk about the draft with us. It'll be a swell time.
Source: FanGraphs