It’s not always so sunny in the Phillies’ infield

PHILADELPHIA » Coming off a rainout, and with an ominous forecast directly ahead for the second game of a weather-imposed daynight doubleheader Sunday, Phillies manager Gabe Kapler didn’t have to look far for something to blame for a key play in an opening loss to the San Diego Padres.

That play came in the sixth inning, Phillies starter Nick Pivetta having just been lifted for reliever Edubray Ramos with one out and a pair of Padres at the corners. San Diego’s Christian Villanueva lifted a high pop to shallow right field, and backtracking Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez camped under the ball ... and promptly allowed it to hit him on its way to the ground.

No indication of trouble with feet or eyes, no blinded by the light kind of reaction as the ball meandered down. Just an error that cost a run and opened the door to a three-run inning in an eventual 10-2 day-opening loss to the Padres.

Ah, but there was a break in this week’s expected monsoonish weather pattern, and since it’s Philadelphia...

“It’s a sun ball,” Kapler said by way of explanation. “It’s a lonely situation to be in for a fielder. You don’t play that ball well or not play it well. You look up and see this giant ball of yellow and the baseball isn’t there.

“(Hernandez) was positioned well. He was underneath. He allowed the ball to come to him. He couldn’t find it. It hit him. It happens. It’s not something you plan for. You don’t practice it. It happens.”

It must have happened just that way, since Hernandez was seemingly unavailable to offer up any other kind of post-game play by play.

Errors happen. Windblown, sun-scorched or otherwise.

To the Phillies, however, they happen a lot.

Yes, they came into this long day 12 games above .500 and in first place in the National League East. And they did so with such so-so (or below that) offensive numbers that a lot of people might be waiting for the inevitable slide.

But what’s even more disconcerting is the way they play the field.

Odubel Herrera may cover almost the entire outfield when he’s of a mind to do so, and Maikel Franco makes plays at third base that a lot of third basemen around the league can’t.

But the Phillies, that overachieving youngest team in the league, have more than their share of ugly moments in the field. And not only when overcome by solar power.

That was the Phillies ranked 27th out of the 30 MLB teams through Saturday in team fielding percentage (.980), with only the Rangers, Cardinals and White Sox — none of them currently in contention — ranking below them.

Those three were also the only three teams in the league that have made more errors than the Phillies’ 71 on the season coming into the day.