Bryce Harper picked a terrible time to get himself ejected with the Philadelphia Phillies trailing 2-1 on Monday night, but Andrew McCutchen feels he is just as much to blame for the team’s latest loss as anyone.
Harper was tossed in the top of the fourth for arguing balls and strikes from the dugout. He appeared to be livid after he was called out on strikes earlier in the inning, so he came storming out of the dugout over another call he felt was questionable. But while Harper forced his team to play without its best player for five-plus innings, McCutchen tweeted after the game that the loss is “on me.”
That’s on me. Gotta play better.
— andrew mccutchen (@TheCUTCH22) April 23, 2019
McCutchen, who batted leadoff for the Phillies, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. He left two men in scoring position in the third after starting pitcher Jake Arrieta executed a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over. It’s admirable for the veteran outfielder to take the blame after the Phillies lost their fourth game in their past five tries, but Harper is the one who left his teammates out to dry by not controlling his temper.
In fact, Arrieta ripped Harper for getting tossed and said the team was “flat.”
Jake Arrieta had some pointed words about Bryce Harper's ejection and the #Phillies' overall effort after Monday night's rain-delayed 5-1 loss to the Mets: pic.twitter.com/GSdyXqHf4S
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) April 23, 2019
Monday night certainly wasn’t the first time Harper lost his mind over balls and strikes, and that type of behavior is a lot less excusable than going 0-for-4 with a couple of strikeouts. Even if they appreciate McCutchen holding himself accountable, Phillies players and coaches probably feel the same way.
