{"id":104149,"date":"2025-10-07T09:36:28","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T09:36:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=104149"},"modified":"2025-10-07T09:36:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T09:36:53","slug":"phillies-pressure-manager-rob-thomson-is-under-fire-after-the-playoff-loss-to-the-dodgers-with-critics-questioning-his-bullpen-moves-and-late-game-strategy-what-was-once-seen-as-steady-leadership-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=104149","title":{"rendered":"PHILLIES PRESSURE: Manager Rob Thomson is under fire after the playoff loss to the Dodgers, with critics questioning his bullpen moves and late-game strategy. What was once seen as steady leadership is now being called stubborn decision-making. The heat in Philly has never been higher \u2014 and all eyes are on how Thomson answers back..ll"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Philadelphia Phillies have clinched a playoff spot four years in a row but have ultimately come up short and been eliminated in an earlier round each year.<\/p>\n

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They were hoping that trend would change this year as back-to-back division champions and entering the postseason much hotter than they were last season.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, they are off to a bad start after the Los Angeles Dodgers took game one of the NLDS. They were supposed to have an inferior bullpen, but it ended up being the Phillies\u2019 relievers who faltered.<\/p>\n

Dodgers starter\u00a0Shohei Ohtani<\/a>\u00a0pitched six innings of magnificent baseball, with his only blemish being a three-run second inning.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez gave up two runs in just under seven innings, but relief pitchers David Robertson and Matt Strahm blew the game immediately after.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia\u2019s manager, Rob Thomson, put Robertson in with one out left in the sixth inning. Miraculously, he got out of it by throwing six pitches all out of the strike zone, only being saved by some poor plate discipline by Dodgers\u00a0third baseman<\/a>\u00a0Max Muncy.<\/p>\n

He would walk and hit a batter in the next inning without recording an out, which led to Strahm entering the game. He got two hard-earned outs before surrendering a stadium-silencing three-run home run to outfielder Teoscar Hernandez.<\/p>\n

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TEOSCAR HERN\u00c1NDEZ!@DODGERS<\/a> LEAD! #NLDS<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/XeygIPFj4t<\/a><\/p>\n

— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n