Cesar Hernandez’s defensive gaffes costing the Phillies

Cesar Hernandez ran toward the outfield Sunday afternoon and reached his glove to the sky. But it was to no avail as the ball fell a few feet past his outstretched glove and into shallow right field.

Hernandez’s difficulties on defense were continuing and they weren’t over yet.

An inning after misplaying a popup, Hernandez moved quickly to field a grounder that belonged to Jean Segura, who was charging in from shortstop. Hernandez, after grabbing the ball, was not in position to throw to first for the final out of the inning.

Segura would have been facing first when he retrieved the ball and was in better position to make the throw. Instead, the lone run the Phillies allowed in a 5-1 win over the Marlins crossed the plate.

“He just doesn’t have his rhythm on defense and he’s struggling through a tough time,” said Gabe Kapler, who likened Hernandez’ defensive struggles to a batter going through a slump. “It’s unfortunate, but we’re going to stick with him. He’s been a good defender in the past. Just like earlier in the season, we knew he was a good offensive player in the past, we knew that would come around and it did, we know that his defense will come around, as well.”

Hernandez’s play on Sunday capped a weeklong stretch that began with Hernandez’ baserunning gaffe in Colorado when he left the second-base bag despite the umpire calling him safe. He muffed a grounder in New York and misplayed a shallow popup similar to the one that fell on Sunday. The Phillies, with Scott Kingery out for roughly another week, do not have many other options except to ride with Hernandez.

He went 0-for-3 on Sunday but entered the game with an eight-game hitting streak and 11 hits in his last 33 at-bats. Sean Rodriguez and Phil Gosselin could spell Hernandez, but the Phillies would rather wait for Kingery before turning to either of them on a full-time basis. Hernandez’s offense, after a slow start, turned around. The Phillies now hope his defense does the same.

“You just keep working. You talk to him about how good he’s been in the past,” Kapler said when asked how the Phillies can help Hernandez snap his slump. “I think one thing for Cesar that we’ll all share with him is stay aggressive because sometimes when you get into those little slumps at the plate or in the field you tend to get a little passive, a little more robotic, so your natural athleticism doesn’t play as much. So I think the message is stay aggressive, even to the point of overaggressive, and I think that will help.”

Nick Pivetta struck out 14 batters in six innings on Sunday afternoon as he made his second start with triple-A Lehigh Valley since being demoted earlier this month. Pivetta allowed one run on three hits with three walks in a 6-5 win over Buffalo, the triple-A affiliate of the Blue Jays.

Pivetta’s rotation spot was taken by Jerad Eickhoff, who pitched seven shutout innings against Miami on Friday night and does not appear in danger of losing his spot. If Pivetta keeps pitching at triple A like he did on Sunday, he can apply some pressure to the Phillies’ starting rotation.

The Phillies are off Monday before opening a two-game series at home against Detroit. Vince Velasquez will face righthander Tyson Ross on Tuesday and Aaron Nola will face righthander Spencer Turnbull on Wednesday. It is the Tigers’ first trip to Philadelphia since 2007. ...The Phillies have 98 extra-base hits in 28 games this season, which is the most extra-base hits in franchise history before the end of April.