WATCH: Bryant takes advantage of defensive shift on ridiculously easy steal |
CHICAGO — So far, one of the few negative elements of Gabe Kapler's debut season as manager of the Philadelphia Phillies has been his tendency to utilize ill-advised defensive shifts.
With a young roster at Kapler's disposal, bone-headed plays as a result of shifting mistakes have been a consistent factor of the Phillies' 2018 season, and, against the Chicago Cubs, Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant made the Phillies look especially silly on a shift. Bryant attempted to steal second base in the bottom of the fourth inning. The attempt came on what proved to be a ball four to Anthony Rizzo. Of course, the walk therefore nullified the steal. Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco covered second base on the steal attempt due to a shift made by the Phillies to the right side of the infield. However, Franco evidently forgot that no one was covering third base. Letting his guard down and taking his eyes off Bryant, Franco allowed Bryant to make the heads-up play of bolting to third base. Trotting to the bag with ease, Bryant took advantage of a mental lapse on behalf of the Philadelphia infielders and reaped the benefits by scoring on an ensuing RBI single by Willson Contreras to put the Cubs ahead 2-0. Bryant was credited with his second steal of the year on the wily play. Kris Bryant with the heads up base running that leads to a run! #ExtraBases pic.twitter.com/y2Vzr1XmZu
