No wonder the Dodgers can’t beat those sneaky Phils

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Now the Dodgers have a fresh explanation for why they haven’t been able to beat the Phillies in the last two National League Championship Series.

The Phillies cheat!

Well, not exactly cheat, but doing something that at a minimum is generally frowned upon, and at a maximum is considered breaking one of the game’s biggest unwritten rules.

Stealing signs.

Now this has been going on since they put stitches through leather, and is not technically illegal. If you’re caught, however, it might be best not to take that next at-bat.

Tracy Ringolsby, a Hall of Fame baseball writer for Fox Sports, has reported the Phillies have been warned by Major League Baseball concerning accusations that bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer was stealing signs Monday night in their game against the Rockies.

‘We have looked at the video and talked to the Phillies about the actions of their bullpen coach,’ a Major League Baseball official told FOXSports.com.

It’s one thing to slyly steal signs while a runner is on second base looking in at the catcher. It is something else if you’re in the bullpen and pull out a pair of binoculars to home in on the catcher.

Billmeyer was caught by TV cameras, binocs in hand, zeroing in on Rockies catcher Miguel Olivo in the second inning Monday.

Sorry, that’s just a tad too obvious.

Ringolsby, quoting an unnamed source, said the Rockies are actually the second team this season to file a complaint about the Phillies. He said the Mets reportedly filed a similar complaint May 2 after ace Johan Santana was knocked around by the Phils.

And you wondered how Vicente Padilla could get hit around like that.

-- Steve Dilbeck