Roman Quinn did his part helping Trea Turner hit an inside-the-park home run
Trea Turner‘s inside-the-park homer was cool, but Roman Quinn‘s centerfield defense was not.
In the top of the third inning in the series finale between NL East foes in the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals, Turner connects on Zach Eflin‘s offering to deep centerfield. Quinn tried to make a circus catch climbing up the Citizens Bank Park wall like he’s Spider-Man. The result was an easy two-run, inside-the-park former for the Washington shortstop. Watch this.
What was Roman Quinn thinking when that ball was hit off Trea Turner’s bat?
Philadelphia entered play at 17-15 on the year and in second place in the NL East. The Phillies are three games back of the Atlanta Braves in the division at 22-14 and would qualify for the postseason as the No. 5 seed in the NL if the season ended today. Though winners of three in a row, the Phillies can’t afford to drop games on boneheaded plays like that to the awful Nationals.
While it may not happen, the Phillies have an outside shot at catching the Braves in the division. They also need to keep a close eye on the Miami Marlins at 16-16, who are giving off the vibes of a playoff team for the first time since 2003. Remember, when the Marlins make the postseason, they always do so as a Wild Card team and they always win the World Series. It’s science, y’all.
As for the Nationals, this has been a year from hell for the defending World Series champions. Expected to contend with the Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers for NL supremacy, Washington has the second worst record in the Senior Circuit, only percentage points better than the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. That’s terrible company they’re keeping, but that’s how 2020 is going for them.
The good news for the Phillies is they have a weekend series with the fourth-place New York Mets who haven’t done much of anything this year. As for the Nationals, their road trip continues with a four-game series with the Braves in Atlanta, who just beat the brakes off the abysmal Boston Red Sox up in Fenway Park. Turner’s inside-the-parker was a rare highlight for the 2020 Nationals.
Hopefully, this mental lapse in centerfield doesn’t come back to haunt the Phillies down the line.