After taking 2-of-3 from the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, the Philadelphia Phillies opened up a three-game series on the road against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.
With Zack Wheeler on the mound, the Phillies were looking to hand the Braves another loss after dropping eight of their first nine games this season. However, that wasn’t the case, as Atlanta won 7-5, thanks to a big night from Braves catcher Sean Murphy, who hit a three-run bomb in the second inning after the Phillies jumped out to a 1-0 lead.
That said, one could make the case that the Phillies shouldn’t have been in that spot if Johan Rojas and/or Edmundo Sosa had made a routine catch on a fly out on Braves third baseman Austin Riley, which would’ve resulted in two outs in the second inning.
Instead, the ball dropped in front of Rojas, allowing Riley to get to second base.
They forgot to catch the ball pic.twitter.com/a3LAI28pQq
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 8, 2025
After Riley got on base, Wheeler struck out Bryan De La Cruz but then walked Jarred Kelenic, ultimately leading to the Murphy home run. After the game, Phillies manager Rob Thomson did not mince his words on that inexcusable play in the field.
"It was miscommunication, but Johan is a captain out there. He has to take charge. (Edmundo) was saying you, you, you, which he should not say. It is Rojas’ fault, Thomson said (h/t John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia)."
“It was a miscommunication, but Johan is a captain out there. He has to take charge. (Edmundo) was saying you, you, you, which he should not say. It is Rojas’s fault”
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 9, 2025
Manager Rob Thomson after the Phillies loss said Johan Rojas has to catch that ball that dropped into… pic.twitter.com/2sY7LulnHF
Rojas also took responsibility for the miscue in the outfield when speaking with reporters. “I have to catch that ball," the young outfielder said (h/t Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia). "That's my responsibility over there. I have to catch it. There's no excuse."
That said, the game was not lost at that point, as the Phillies struck back, scoring three runs in the top of the third inning and one run in the fifth inning to take a 5-3 lead.
But as Thomson pointed out, Rojas should’ve made that play, especially with Sosa starting in the left field for the first time. Wheeler might’ve been able to escape that inning with no damage. Nonetheless, we’ll see if Rojas is back in the lineup or if Thomson goes back to Brandon Marsh with a right-handed pitcher (Grant Holmes) going for the Braves.