Alec Bohm, Rob Thomson ejected as Phillies fail to score in homestand-ending loss to Twins

The full-count fastball hummed at the knees, inside, and a smidge off the plate. It wasn’t a strike. But with the bases loaded and two out, in the seventh inning of a tight game, it might have been too close to take.

So, plate umpire Alex MacKay called Alec Bohm out on strikes.

And Bohm went ballistic.

Bat slam? Check. Helmet spike? Oh yeah. Profane word or three? Most likely. Amid his rage, Bohm didn’t even hear MacKay eject him after the enduring moment of the Phillies’ forgettable 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday in the finale of a 10-game homestand.

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“We’re trying to win a game, big spot, and I felt like I did all I could do,” Bohm said. “I felt like the bat was taken out of my hands. But it’s just a bunch of humans out there and mistakes happen.”

Besides, the last 10 days offered a bigger-picture view than a call-up umpire’s interpretation of the strike zone — first with Bohm, then with Bryce Harper in the eighth inning, which led to manager Rob Thomson’s protest and subsequent ejection.

After coming home on Aug. 4 and scoring 60 runs in eight games, the Phillies scored one run in two games against Twins pitching, led by starters Pablo López and Sonny Gray. Ten days that included standing ovations for a scuffling superstar, the 14th no-hitter in club history, and a home-run resurgence ended with less a thud than a whimper.

Through it all, the Phillies did move into the lead in the wild-card race, 1½ games ahead of the Giants and three games clear of the Cubs for the final National League playoff spot.

That was worth remembering on a day when the franchise saluted the pennant-winning 1983 and 1993 teams. Those teams were beloved in the city even though they didn’t win the World Series. Someday, the 2022 Phillies will get their Sunday in the sun, too.

But the 1983 and ‘93 clubs also represent cautionary tales. In 1984, the Phillies finished 81-81 and missed the playoffs. The 1994 club would’ve missed the postseason, too, if it hadn’t been wiped out by a strike.

What will become of the 2023 Phillies? At 65-54, they’re in better shape than their NL-champion predecessors. Fangraphs gives them an 84.8% chance of making the playoffs. Baseball Reference is even more bullish at 90.6%.

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“We’re still playing good baseball,” Thomson said. “We’ve just got to get it going again in Toronto [on Tuesday].”

One day after getting shut down by López, the Phillies loaded the bases with two out in the second inning against Gray. But Kyle Schwarber struck out on a fastball, a whiff that could’ve changed the game as much as any.

That goes for Bohm’s contested third strike, too.

The Twins lifted Gray after six innings, even though he threw only 80 pitches and held the Phillies to three hits. And the Phillies nearly made them regret the decision. Back-to-back one-out singles by Jake Cave and Garrett Stubbs and a pitch off Johan Rojas’ forearm loaded the bases.

Schwarber popped out on the infield before Bohm, the Phillies’ most dangerous hitter with runners in scoring position, stepped to the plate and worked the count full against Twins lefty Caleb Thielbar.

Cue the call. And the outrage, including a bat slam that rivaled Rhys Hoskins’ jubilant spike in the Division Series against Atlanta.

“First of all, that’s the last job I want to have is being an umpire,” Thomson said. “It’s very difficult. He missed the call on Bohm.”

Did it change the game?

“I mean, you [would’ve] got Bryce Harper coming up with the bases loaded down by one,” Bohm said. “As much as that affects the game, we’ll never know what would’ve happened.”

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Trea Turner singled up the middle in the ninth inning against Twins closer Jhoan Durán to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.

Put another way: Turner has a hit in every game since the ovations.

Coincidence? Surely. To chalk up Turner’s streak solely to support from fans would ignore all the work that he has done with hitting coach Kevin Long. But Turner is willing to concede that it could’ve been a factor.

“Maybe it’s the crowd; maybe it’s a little bit better swing; maybe it’s better pitches; maybe I’m relaxed,” said Turner, who went 17-for-39 with six doubles and two homers on the homestand. “I don’t know if there’s one specific thing. I think just everything as a whole is in a better direction.”

The Twins jumped to a lead on Jordan Luplow’s solo homer in the first inning against starter Ranger Suárez. They tacked on another run in the third on Jorge Polanco’s liner off Bohm’s glove at third base.

Otherwise, Suárez was solid, matching his season-high with eight strikeouts.

After struggling in July, Suárez has a 2.45 ERA over his last three starts against Miami, Washington, and Minnesota. He appears to have benefited from extra rest in a six-man rotation.

“Especially towards the end of the season, it helps when you have an extra day to rest,” Suárez said through a team interpreter. “I don’t complain about that.”