MLB not happy with Gabe Kapler for warm-up debacle

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Gabe Kapler made a number of questionable moves in his first series as Phillies manager.

And one move, in particular, wasn't well received by the league office.

The Phillies will receive a formal warning letter from MLB for Gabe Kapler's warm-up debacle in Saturday's loss to the Braves, according to ESPN's Buster Olney

During the third inning of the 15-2 loss to Atlanta, Kapler emerged from the dugout and called for Hoby Milner to come into the game to replace Vince Velasquez. Controversy arose because Milner wasn't warming up in the bullpen and therefore wasn't ready to pitch.

Milner rushed to get a few throws in the bullpen before third base umpire Greg Gibson walked toward the Phils' 'pen and ordered the left-hander to enter the game. When Milner finally got to the mound, the umpires allowed him to throw five pitches before the game resumed play. 

Crew chief Jerry Layne said he allowed Milner to throw the warm-up pitches to protect the pitcher's health, which MLB agreed was the right way to handle the unusual situation, according to Olney. But the league won't give Kapler and the Phils the same leeway moving forward, per The Athletic's Jayson Stark.

And while Layne was considerate of the player, he grilled the Phillies for mishandling the pitching change.

“Whoever is at fault for not doing their job on the Phillies side should have to answer to Major League Baseball,” Layne said.

“I’m taking accountability for it,” Kapler said. “It’s an indication that I need to do a better job and I will. One of the things that I pride myself on is being an excellent communicator and doing so relentlessly. I will continue to strive for excellence in that regard. Miscommunications are simply unacceptable no matter where they occur.”

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