This Phillies run ended the way too many of these October stories do: flat, frustrating, and with a lineup that never really found its footing when it mattered most.
By the time the game had drifted into the third inning, the damage already felt baked in. Aaron Nola had served up the familiar punch - a three-run homer in the bottom of the first, this one to Michael Harris - and the Phillies were already chasing. Kyle Schwarber was the only hitter who seemed to have anything going against Ray Kerr, who was making his playoff debut at 31 and looked far more settled than the Phillies did at the plate.
When the television came back into view, Grant Holmes was on the mound, with his mustache and hair drawing their own kind of attention. The Phillies had managed to get some runners aboard, then grounded into a double play to end the first before finally pushing across a run on a groundout. By then, though, they were already buried under a 5-1 deficit after Zack Wheeler allowed his own homer.
It had the feel of a game slipping away in real time, even with the late push from Games 1 and 2 still hanging in the air. A 5-0 hole looked too steep, and the larger problem was already obvious: the Phillies had put themselves in a spot where their biggest edge - starting pitching - never had a clean runway.
That was the consequence of the week before, when they had to lean on Wheeler just to get into the playoffs on Sunday. That setup pushed Jesús Luzardo into Tuesday, Cristopher Sánchez into Wednesday, and then left a Nola/Wheeler pairing for Thursday, with Wheeler on short rest. Had they clinched earlier, they could have used Sunday to empty the bullpen and line up the rotation properly for the Braves series.
Instead, the second half left Don Mattingly with too few reliable arms to trust. That’s why Jhoan Duran entered in the seventh inning of Game 1.
The postseason plan was supposed to include Orion Kerkering and José Alvarado, but both had rough seasons. Brad Keller tore his UCL.
Brooks Raley never even made the playoff roster. The bullpen wound up as a major weakness.
The injuries and absences mattered, too. Luis Arraez being out didn’t help, because he would have made a difference in this series.
Brandon Marsh, an All-Star, disappeared. Trea Turner never really showed up.
Bryson Stott’s impact was hard to find. Alec Bohm at least carried his share.
But if the Phillies were going to win, the route had to come through the starters, and they never gave themselves the proper setup to do it.
The bigger picture is even uglier. If this team couldn’t get past this round, there was no real reason to think it was built to handle the Dodgers, especially with a worse lineup than the one that fell short last year. They aren’t better than the Dodgers in any area, including starting pitching.
The sense of this being a worn-down, fading team was impossible to ignore. The comparison that fits is the Sixers of the last several seasons: people keep watching, keep hoping, but the emotional investment just isn’t what it was in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The peak may have come with that Game 7 NLCS loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, a defeat that now looks like the start of the slide.
So what comes next is the hard part. This era is over.
Expiring contracts need to go. Players with value need to go.
Dave Dombrowski needs to go. Mattingly needs to go.
The Phillies need fresh faces everywhere they can find them, even if Turner and others are stuck on the books for years. Running it back again isn’t an option.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me two, three, four, five times in a row and shame on me.
Wholesale change is the only path left. Otherwise, the better move might be to stay on the couch.
In Other News...
Bryce Harper Trade Talk Puts Phillies At A Painful Crossroads
Bryce Harper has spent enough time in Philadelphia to make even the most speculative trade chatter feel like a jolt, which is why the latest round of offseason rumblings lands so awkwardly for the Phillies. The idea of moving a player who remains central to the franchise picture is jarring on its face, but it also speaks to the kind of roster and payroll questions front offices sometimes have to at least examine, even when the answer is obvious.
Any potential deal would have to pass through Harper himself, thanks to his no-trade clause, and that alone makes the conversation far more complicated than a simple phone call between executives. The scenarios floating around connect the Phillies to clubs such as the Red Sox, Yankees and Athletics, but they also hinge on whether a team would be willing to construct a package strong enough and an extension workable enough to even get the discussion started. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Enter A Defining Winter With One Huge Turner Question
The early exit against Atlanta in the National League Wild Card Series sent the Phillies into a winter that already looks loaded with work. After being knocked out in three games, the front office has to balance several needs at once, from upgrading the outfield to smoothing out bullpen inconsistency, while also keeping a close eye on the development and health of prospect Aidan Miller. On top of that, the club still has to settle on a permanent manager, with Alex Cora emerging as a leading candidate.
Amid all those questions, none may matter more than what comes next with Trea Turner. The Phillies will spend the offseason evaluating his performance and whether a position change makes sense, a decision that could ripple through the rest of the roster planning. It gives this winter a defining feel, because how they handle Turner may say as much about the direction of the team as any signing or coaching hire. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Suddenly Face An Offseason Decision That Once Felt Untouchable
The Phillies are heading into an offseason that suddenly feels heavier than it did just a few months ago. After an early postseason exit and a season that included a rough start before a managerial change steadied things, the front office now has to sort through more than just roster tweaks. The disappointment has pushed a familiar question back to the center of the discussion: how aggressive should this team be when the window is still open?
Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are the names hanging over those conversations, which is what makes the moment so unusual for Philadelphia. Both have been central to the clubs identity and success, but the Phillies also know October misses tend to sharpen every decision, especially when contract concerns enter the picture. Even with the change in direction late in the year, the real test may come now, when the organization has to decide whether to stay committed to its core or consider moving parts that once felt untouchable. [Read more 🡒]