After finishing as the second seed in the National League, the Phillies and their fans had high hopes coming into the playoffs, especially after earning a first round bye. Before the playoffs started, the Phillies were red hot. Notable players such as leadoff hitter Kyle Schwarber, who had hit 56 home runs before the playoffs, and pitcher Christopher Sanchez, who was pitching at a 2.5 ERA (Earned Run Average), showed that the team had reliability on the defensive and offensive sides of the diamond. The Phillies- playing the Dodgers in the NLDS (National League Division Series)- were no heavy favorite, as the Dodgers swept the Cincinnati Reds and were favored for all of the series games. While the Phillies weren’t expected to win, they were still supposed to put up an intense fight against a team that has the highest payroll in the MLB. 

The first game was a struggle, as the Phillies lost the game 5-3 while putting up the same number of hits as the Dodgers. Star pitcher Christopher Sanchez was dominant in the first few innings, striking out eight batters but letting up two runs at the end of the sixth, causing him to be pulled out of the game after the sixth inning. The offense had a fantastic second inning, taking a three run lead. But it only went downhill from there, as the top of the lineup, including Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper, had a combined 1-for-11 with six strikeouts in the game. The Phillies then gave up the lead, as the relieving pitchers let up a three run homerun that led the Dodgers to win.

As for the second disappointment of the series, it was a copy and paste story from the last game. Starting pitcher Jesus Lazardo dominated the six innings he was in, retiring 17 batters in the process. Then, yet again, the relieving pitchers let up four runs in the 7th inning, ultimately losing the game. The top of the order was inefficient again as Turner, Schwarber, and Harper combined for 1-10, and they only scored in the last inning of the game. Again, the Phillies matched the number of hits the Dodgers had, but they weren’t able to finish the job when it mattered the most. Manager Rob Thomson received backlash for his reliever choices leading to the end of the game, some even going as far as to say he should be fired. 

Hope was lost; it seemed like another disappointing exit until the following game, game 3, where the Phillies put on an absolute master class. Even as underdogs for the 3rd game of the series, an elimination game, the Phillies still prevailed, dominating the game 8-2. Kyle Schwarber had finally arrived. Beforehand, he was 1-15 from the plate; however, his performance changed dramatically during Game 3, where he hit a 455-foot home run in the fourth inning to tie the game, sparking the Phillies’ offense. The pitching was just as elite as pitcher Aaron Nola pitched two scoreless innings when Ranger Suarez replaced him to pitch for the next 5, only letting up one run. 

Lost hope was recovered; the Phillies still had a chance. Game 4, another elimination game, another game the Dodgers were favored in, but this was something we had experienced before. It was looking good as it was tied 1-1 all the way up until the 11th inning. Starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez was having yet another dominant game, not letting a run in until the 7th, where he was taken out after he allowed a walk and a single that put a Dodgers runner in scoring position. Then Rob Thomson made a shocking decision, putting in closer Joan Duran 2 innings before he usually is put in. This decision was proven costly since Duran walked in the tying run for the Dodgers, and it caused the Phillies’ bullpen to be stretched thin. Both offenses, especially the Phillies, were stagnant throughout the entire game, but that all changed when Phillies pitcher Orion Kerkering was put on the mound in the bottom of the 11th. Now, the loss wasn’t entirely on Kerkering, as the pitcher he replaced had already allowed the two runners on base, but there were two outs. Kerekring walked the first batter he faced (Kiké Hernandez), and up came Andy Pages. Pages who had been struggling massively up until this point had a .094 batting average. On the first pitch, Pages hit a fair ball straight towards Kererkering, a play that should’ve resulted in Pages being out and the Phillies having another chance of staying alive, but the exact opposite of that happened. Kerkering bobbled the ball and tossed it over catcher J.T. Realmuto’s glove, resulting in the Phillies being eliminated. As embarrassing as that play was, the loss shouldn’t only be blamed on Kerkering, as there was an extensive offensive struggle that plagued the Phillies not only in this game but throughout the series. 

The overall inconsistencies of their offense and pitching are the most significant reasons why they lost this series, which is something the Phillies will look forward to fixing during the offseason. Now, it has been two straight years that the Phillies have exited the playoffs embarrassingly, last year losing to the Arizona Diamondbacks after being up two games to none. Looking forward, they have decided to keep Rob Thomson as the manager and are looking to resign key players Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto.