Phillies try, ultimately fail to blow another save: Phillies 5, Braves 4

You thought they were going to reverse that call, didn’t you? After Andrew Knapp tagged out Dansby Swanson at the plate, you figured that they were going to review the play, and due to the Buster Posey rule, he was going to be ruled safe. The game would be tied, and eventually, the Braves would have found a way to win. But amazingly, the umpires (correctly) upheld the call, and the Phillies bullpen somehow protected a lead, and the team came away with a 5-4 win over the Braves.

Typical of their 2020 season, this game started off well for the Phillies. Alec Bohm’s first career home run got them on the board, and after Rhys Hoskins’ home run extended the lead to 3-0, we all expected the Phils to coast to victory.

If any Phillies fans actually expected that, then you either haven’t paid attention at all or you are a hopeless optimist. And sure enough, thanks in part to Bohm’s poor defense at third base, the Braves narrowed the lead to one run in the third.

The Phillies got one back in the fourth, but considering they had the bases loaded with nobody out, it felt like a wasted opportunity. But hey, it’s not like they could ever use insurance runs, right?

Thanks to a middling start by Zach Eflin, and surprisingly strong relief work by Heath Hembree and Tommy Hunter (I’m as shocked as you are), the Phillies were able to maintain the two-run lead until the ninth inning. That’s when Brandon Workman entered, and for the second straight night would try to earn his first save as a Phillie.

With two runners aboard and Freddie Freeman at the plate, the blown save felt inevitable. It felt so inevitable that when Freeman lined one into the gap, it wasn’t even that frustrating. But then something unexpected happened.

Roman Quinn - whose defense has contributed to some of the recent blown leads - cut the ball off quickly and fired it home. Didi Gregorius’ relay arrived in time for Knapp to apply the tag, and somehow, the Phillies held on to win.

Maybe there will be a day when the Phillies’ bullpen can give us a drama-free night, and the Phillies will indeed coast to victory. Until that day comes, we’ll just have to enjoy wins however they may come.