Phillies' fans lay into Torey Lovullo after 'backup keeper' jibe at Garret Stubbs: "He didn’t wake up no beast"
Torey Lovullo, manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, has hit back at Phillies backup catcher Drew Stubbs after some pointed comments. Unfortunately, Phillies fans do not seem eager to defend Stubbs' comments.
Ahead of the NLCS returning to Arizona, Stubbs remarked that he and his teammates would be "b-lining" for the pool at Chase Field. Many teams, including the D-Backs themselves in the NLDS, have made the pool a favorite spot for celebrating key series wins.
In response to Stubbs' comments, Torey Lovullo claimed that the Phillies are "wearing that a little bit", appearing to give creedence to Stubbs' remarks. However, fans of the Phillies do not exactly see Stubbs' comments as threatening.
"“I know the backup catcher made a statement about sprinting to the pool. I think they’re wearing that a little bit.” Garrett Stubbs might’ve woke up a beast" - Barstool Baseball
Many appeared to lambaste Stubbs, who joined the Philaldelphia Phillies last season. It appears as though Phillies fans are still angry at their team for dropping the last two games.
Despite outscoring the Arizona Diamondbacks 15-3 over the course of the first two games of the NLCS, the Phillies appear to have lost their way. After dropping Game 3 in walk-off fashion, the Phillies bullpen surrendered a late lead in Game 4. A two-run home run by Alek Thomas was puncuated by an RBI double from Gabriel Moreno, handing the D-Backs a 5-4 win.
Torey Lovullo, however, knows how offensively dominant the Phillies have been in the postseason. Out of 84 home runs so far in the postseason, Philadelphia hitters have been responsible for 20 of them. The pair of teams will face off in a pivotal Game 5 matchup on Saturday.
As for Garrett Stubbs, he has not exactly been an impactful bat this season. Apart from a brief appearance on October 17, the last game that Stubbs appeared in came on October 1 against the New York Mets. On the season, Garrett Stubbs hit .204 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 41 games.
Torey Lovullo understands full-well the challenge in front of his team
Normally, a manager would have every right to dismiss an opposing players comments. However, the Philadelphia Phillies made it to the World Series last season, and thus rightly invoke the fear of a less experienced team like the Diamondbacks. That said, Torey Lovullo owes it to his guys to defend them against such derision. At least the fans on X were able to key him in.