PHILADELPHIA — It’s never a good sign when a position player takes the mound. And on Friday night, in the ninth inning of a 10-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs, Phillies infielder Kody Clemens took the ball from Andrew Bellatti. It was not a quick and painless outing. Clemens was tasked with getting two outs, and needed 14 pitches to do it. He allowed a single to Nick Madrigal, induced a forceout, allowed a walk to Dansby Swanson — which was when the boos really started to ring — and induced a flyout from Mike Tauchman to put the Phillies, and their fans, out of their misery.
When Nick Castellanos caught the final out, fans started to cheer. It was a sarcastic cheer. This has been a rough stretch for a Phillies team that entered this season with playoff expectations. They’ve struggled to gain any momentum. From May 7 to May 13, they won five straight games. Now they’ve lost five straight and are 20-24.
For about two months, fans followed Ranger Suárez’s recovery from a left elbow strain with anticipation. Starting pitching depth was thin, but if the Phillies could just survive until Suárez’s return, they would be all right. It made sense in theory, but it hasn’t worked in practice.
