1981 Donruss #142 Larry Bowa

Nationals 7, Phillies 0
Game 56 - Tuesday Night, June 3rd in Washington
Record - 24-32, 5th Place, 6 1/2 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Following a pre-game meeting in which manager Ryne Sandberg stressed the need to win now, the Phillies were shut out 7-0 by Jordan Zimmermann and the Naitonals.

What It Means:  The downward spiral continues.

What Happened:  David Buchanan got roughed up in his third big league outing, allowing seven runs on ten hits in his six innings of work.   But it's hard to have a chance to win without scoring any runs.  Zimmermann and Tyler Clippard held the offense to six hits, with the only extra-base hit being a double from third baseman Reid Brignac.

Featured Card:  If you had predicted Tuesday, June 3rd as the day bench coach Larry Bowa would officially lose it and call out several players via some sort of media outlet, give yourself a pat on the back.

Bowa went on the radio Tuesday morning and harshly criticized the team's play to date.  The entire summary of Bowa's tirade can be found here, but the key quote, and one with which I completely agree, is, "That's not big-league baseball."

Bowa specifically called out outfielder Domonic Brown ("I think we're going to find out one way or another if this guy can play up here.") and fifth starter Roberto Hernandez ("If you have a big-league uniform on, you have to go more than five innings.")  The team responded to Bowa's harsh critique by getting shut out for the eighth time this season.

Transaction:  Prior to the game, struggling reliever Phillippe Aumont was sent back down to Triple-A and Ethan Martin was recalled to take his place in the bullpen.