There are rough innings and nightmarish innings and innings that test a manager’s intestinal fortitude while simultaneously graying his hair. And then there was whatever the heck happened to the Phillies in the fourth inning on Monday night.
It ranked somewhere between a full-scale meltdown and a raging dumpster fire, and everything that occurred before and after in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 16-2 obliteration of the Sons of Gabe Kapler – from the “Let’s Go Dodgers!” chants in the first inning, to reliever Yacksel Rios getting ejected for hitting a batter with a first-pitch slider after giving up a two-run shot in the eighth, to a position player being asked to record the final four outs –somehow paled in comparison.
Consider the list of affronts committed by and foisted upon the Phillies in that inning: The Dodgers scored one run on an excuse-me, check-swing tapper that rolled 50 feet down the third-base line and eluded Maikel Franco’s barehanded attempt to stop it. Second baseman Cesar Hernandez didn’t cover first on a squeeze play in which Corey Seager scored from third and Austin Barnes reached base on a bunt that was fielded by pitcher Zach Eflin. Barnes, the Dodgers’ backup catcher, was safe at home on the front end of a double steal. He took off for the plate when catcher JT Realmuto threw from his knees in an attempt to cut down Joc Pederson at second base.
When Eflin struck out Alex Verdugo to mercifully end the inning, several Phillies players appeared to be unaware that it was the third out, lingering on the field for a few beats as though they were expecting another batter to come to the plate.
In all, the Dodgers scored six runs against Eflin in that fourth inning. But they didn’t break open the game so much as they systematically broke down the Phillies, who were booed off the field at Citizens Bank Park once they finally decided to leave it. It was humiliating, even for a team that has been stuck in a 15-24 downward spiral since May 29 and plunged from 3 { games ahead of the second-place Atlanta Braves to nine games behind them. And it made the pro-Dodgers chants and chorus of “Overrated!” that was directed at Bryce Harper in his own ballpark seem benign by comparison.
After the dismantling came the annihilation. The Dodgers, who played until almost 1 am on Monday morning in Boston before travelling here to open a four-game series, kept on coming with one run in the fifth inning, two in the seventh, five in the eighth and two in the ninth against Phillies centre fielder Roman Quinn.
Cody Bellinger swatted two home runs and finished with four hits, including a hustle infield single in the ninth inning. Verdugo finished with three hits. The Phillies allowed 19 hits, tied for the most they’d given up in a game this season.
It didn’t have to be that way, though. Believe it or not, the Phillies actually had the great Clayton Kershaw on the ropes early in the game, loading the bases in the first and third innings. But they came away with only one run and left the bases filled both times. 
The first missed opportunity came in the first inning. Kershaw gave up a two-out single to Harper, then walked Rhys Hoskins and Realmuto, the latter on four pitches. But Jay Bruce swung at the first pitch and flew out to right field.
Scott Kingery took Kershaw deep to open the third inning. But after the Phillies loaded the bases again, Bruce struck out and Franco grounded to third. And then the nightmare began. It might take a while to wake up from this one, too.

MLB Results 
Tampa Bay Rays 5 New York Yankees 4; Cardinals 7, Pirates 0; Dodgers 16, Phillies 2; Braves 4, Brewers 2; Reds 6, Cubs 3; Red Sox 10, Blue Jays 8; Giants 19, 
Rockies 2; Giants 2, Rockies 1; Indians 8, Tigers 6; Royals 5, White Sox 2; Angels 9, Astros 6