As you’ve no doubt heard by now, Phillies manager Gabe Kapler messed up on Saturday when he attempted to bring in lefty reliever Hoby Milner even though Milner was literally just starting to get warmed up. Kapler stalled and Milner got a few warm-up pitches in before entering the game. Crew chief Jerry Layne allowed Milner five warm-up pitches on the mound, which upset Braves manager Brian Snitker, who then got ejected. Layne said he wanted to protect Milner’s health. The Phillies wound up getting destroyed that game anyway, losing 15-2.
MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reported on Sunday that Major League Baseball will officially warn the Phillies regarding that pitching change. MLB believes Layne handled the situation appropriately.
Kapler took full responsibility for the communication breakdown.
