This past weekend, the Phillies were swept by the Giants. It was a miserable showing. They only scored one run and it was a solo homer from pitcher Jake Arrieta. Afterward, Arrieta -- the Phillies' big-ticket acquisition of the offseason -- steamed in the AT&T Park clubhouse. He said it was a "horses---" series and also called out the team's use of shifts.
Phillies manager Gabe Kapler discussed the comments on MLB.com and, man, his answers couldn't possibly be more self-aware and mature. Here's a snippet:
"I think I may have a different take on this than most. The last thing I want is for our clubhouse to be content. If we're content, it means we're not getting better. Our clubhouse should be passionate, driven [like Jake] and only satisfied when we are clicking on all cylinders.
"I don't think we have defensive shifts figured out. I don't think anyone has them nailed down. Jake's comments are true -- we didn't play well and we can be better. It's a good opportunity for us to sit down and discuss how we can improve our team.
"Personally, I don't mind Jake expressing how he feels about shifts or anything else. Ideally, he and I and our clubhouse leaders and staff should be constantly discussing ways to excel."
Remember when everyone was making fun of Kapler in the first week? He has been great since then and this answer is pretty great. Teams should constantly be finding ways to be better and the Phillies are generally a young team. Arrieta has won a Cy Young and World Series and can help lead the clubhouse, drawing from his experience. The series was unacceptable. Arrieta said as much. He seemed to imply the manager and players need to be better, and Kapler seems to agree. It all feels very healthy.
The Phillies will look to turn the tide in Arrieta's former stomping ground Tuesday night: Wrigley Field.