Jorge Soler Cleared the Bases … on a Groundball to Shortstop
As a fan of the 2022 Chicago Cubs (14-20), I’m not really in a position to throw stones at the Washington Nationals (12-25) this season … but I will anyway. After all, misery loves company, and this was one embarrassing series of events.
Watch as Marlins outfielder (and former Cub!) Jorge Soler hits a bases loaded groundball right at shortstop Dee Strange-Gordon … who misplays it, leading to a comedy of errors and overthrows … and also three runs. Soler even ends up at third base and he’s one of the slowest runners in the league.
This is some serious little league nonsense.
The Nationals aren’t looking too good these days
— MLB Errors (@mlberrors) May 17, 2022
We can let Strange-Gordon off the hook for the initial misplay (the ball was hit at 113 MPH and scored as a single, which strikes me as fair). But the offline throw from left, the bobble at the plate when there was NO SHOT at the runner trying to score, the unnecessary overthrow into center, and the way Victor Robles dove for that ball in center? I’m just not sure any of that was actually necessary.
And to put an even finer point on things, the official scorer gave the left fielder, Lane Thomas, the first of two errors on the play, which strikes me as very odd. The throw was offline, but the catcher corralled it just fine. If he didn’t try to make an impossible tag, he could’ve held onto the ball … and maybe prevented the pitcher, Victor Arano, from making the mess worse.
Tough break for the Nationals, who lost 8-2, dropping further into last place of the NL East.
Dave Martinez’s face says it all – I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.
