Phillies Need Major Changes After 2nd Playoff Failure
In early July, this Phillies team looked poised for greatness. They looked like the best team in baseball, had just swept the Dodgers shortly before the All-Star Break, and had arguably the best pitching staff in baseball. But now, just 4 games into their playoff journey, it is all over. The team that spent all off-season talking about unfinished business, had their worst playoff performance yet, showing none of the trademark fight that defined the last two Octobers.
Where did it all go wrong? Let’s run down the list that led to one of the worst chokes in Phillies history.
The Phillies Bullpen
Going into the playoffs you could argue this was the strongest part of the team. Matt Strahm weren’t just All-Stars, they were two of the most reliable arms in the league, both with ERAs hovering around 2.0.
So of course those two gave up 10 combined runs over 3.1 innings. Hoffman himself blew two 1 run leads. Strahm blew the 2-run lead in game 2, though they eventually won. Say what you want about the leads being so narrow, but the starting pitcher handed them a lead in 3 of the 4 games, and those two blew the lead every time.
Based on the regular season, the Phillies should have felt comfortable handing those guys even the narrowest of leads. But they didn’t just fold, they completely imploded. Estevez wasn’t much better. He had a clean inning in game 2, but then coughed up runs in games 3 and 4, including the decisive Lindor Grand Slam in game 4.
The starting pitching, outside of Nola, was fantastic. But the bullpen failed at every turn.
The Phillies Lineup
Nick Castellanos had a slash line of .412/.412/.647/1.059, with 1 HR, 1 Double, and 3 RBIS, and 2 runs. Did he have a couple of bad at-bats? Sure. In game 3 he wasted a great opportunity grounding into a double play. But overall he was fantastic. Even in game 4, he got 2 hits.
Harper hit .333/.529/.750/1.297. He had an HR, 2 doubles, and drew 5 walks. Did he have some bad at-bats? Yes. His 3-pitch strikeout in game 3 was awful and wasted a great chance to get back into that game. But overall he hit very well. The combination of Harper and Castellanos accounted for 9 of the teams 12 runs, 75%.
That brings us to the rest of the lineup. They got 13 hits in 100 at-bats. A slash line of .130/.237/.160/.397. Everyone not named Harper or Castellanos was a complete no-show in this series. Bryson Stott had 1 clutch triple but was otherwise ineffective. Schwarber hit an HR in his 1st at bat and then had 1 hit the rest of the series, Realmuto went hitless, Marsh had 1 hit, and Bohm got a single hit where he was called out trying to reach second.
Two guys had a pulse. The rest failed to show up.
What Comes Next
That leaves us with the question, what comes next? Last year they ran back the same team. You have to think they can’t do that again. Coming 1 win short of the World Series is 1 thing, but winning only a single playoff game is a whole other thing, especially when you have the 2nd best record in the league.
Things will have to change. Maybe the Manager goes. He certainly is not innocent. In game 4 it was his choice to leave Hoffman in for that 2nd inning. hoffman loaded the bases, setting up Carlos Estevez to give up a grand slam. That was on Hoffman, but it was also on Thomson. The team also collapsed for two straight years under his watch.
But players who have been mainstays may go too. Bohm was benched in a playoff game, and then never responded afterward. That is not nothing. Marsh had 1 hit. Stott was a no-show outside of 1 big moment. The daycare won the hearts of Phillies fans, but they have also failed to grow into the players people hoped they would become. 1 or more of them could be out.
JT had no hits. It will be hard to move on from him, but he is a shell of what he once was. Turner is here for the long haul, but he has failed to live up to his contract, and they have several big decisions to make with the bullpen with both Hoffman and Estevez going into Free Agency.
This team is going to look different. It should look different. You can say they lost to the better team in 2022, but they now choked in two straight playoffs to teams they are better than on paper. The difference is when the Phillies folded, those two teams played their best ball. For this team to get that kind of mojo back, they are going to need to shake things up in a major way.
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