Florimon fools Nationals’ Turner with kiddie trick
WASHINGTON » There was a growing sense of glee from Gabe Kapler as he selected the first topic for his postgame press conference Saturday, something that wouldn’t be recorded in any boxscore but ranked as “sensational” in the Phillies manager’s book.
With Trea Turner leading off the ninth inning with a walk from Hector Neris and fellow pinch-hitter Matt Wieters stepping in, Turner broke for second base on a hit-and-run. That’s when Phillies shortstop Pedro Florimon ran to the bag, feigned a tag on a sliding Turner and kept the phantom ball on the runner for several seconds … more than enough time for Cesar Hernandez to field a fly ball in shallow right field and double off the bewildered Turner at first.
“He’s got a really slow motor out there,” Kapler said in praise of Florimon. “Even when he fields a ground ball, it just seems to come so naturally and easy to him. He kind of sees the play unfolding before it’s actually happening. That was just incredibly heads up and I think made everybody in the ballpark feel that the ball was on the ground somewhere or in his glove. Really, really smart play by Flo.”
Florimon won’t get an assist, but with Neris walking two before clinching the save in a 3-1 win over the Nationals, “Flo’s” astute play was instrumental in the Phillies’ chance to win the series Sunday.
“I think that (Turner) didn’t know what was going on because he stood up and tried to clean his jersey,” Florimon said. “And then I saw he didn’t know what was going on, so I said, ‘OK, I got him.’”
Florimon, who entered in a double-switch to replace Scott Kingery, drew the effusive praise of Kapler with the kind of instinctive play a manager doesn’t teach but hopes his players are able to brandish at the right moment.
“I think he knows to do that in that moment,” Kapler said. “It just happens naturally, but I think that all of our infielders then take notice and create some muscle memory for themselves.”
*** With none out and a 2-2 count on pitcher Tanner Roark in the third inning Saturday, Phillies starter Vince Velasquez lost control of a 75 mph curveball that plunked the Nationals starter.
It was the kind of start to an inning, with red-hot Bryce Harper waiting two batters later, that could’ve unraveled an inning. But Velasquez, focused on remaining in control. He wound up working five solid innings, allowing just one hit — a solo homer to nine-hitter Wilmer Difo in the fifth — to improve his record to 2-4. He walked four, ending a career-best streak of seven straight starts with two or fewer walks, and struck out four.
“That’s what happened last outing,” Velasquez said. “Things kind of tend to get away from you and sometimes you’ve just got to put the foot down. That’s how we learn. We got back to film and reflect back and we’ve got to find a different mentality to kind of bear down. I found my rhythm right from the get-go and got out of that jam.”
A day after rain and the long ball limited Nick Pivetta to one inning, Velasquez allowed Kapler to script his bullpen perfectly. Velasquez made way after 92 pitches. Edubray Ramos worked through a walk and a hit in the sixth, then Tommy Hunter got four easy outs before Luis Garcia finished out the eighth to hand it to Neris for his sixth save. In the process, the Phillies halted a sixgame Nats winning streak.
“We had the guys that we wanted to go to, and it didn’t feel early,” Kapler said. “He was working a bit of a higher pitch count. We wanted to get him out of there feeling really good about himself.”
*** NOTES » Odubel Herrera walked in the third inning to reach base safely for a 34th consecutive game. He ties Bobby Abreu (2006) and Pat Burrell (2000) for the fourth-longest such streak in team history. Next up is Chase Utley’s run of 35 games in 2006 . ... Sunday’s rubber game pits the winners of the last three National League Cy Young Awards against each other. Jake Arrieta (3-1, 3.49 ERA) toes the rubber for the Phillies, opposed by Nationals ace Max Scherzer (6-1, 1.79). “Scherzer vs. Arrieta, day game, last game of the series to settle it, huge moment,” Kapler said.