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Oct 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson speaks with the media before game one of the NLDS round of the 2025 MLB playoffs against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Rob Thomson’s postseason decisions are hurting the Phillies

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Andrew Cote | Last updated Oct 7, 2025 7:00 AM ET

In the later innings of a close Phillies game at home, a clip of Rocky II appears on the Jumbotron of Adrian telling Rocky to win. The crowd at Citizens Bank Park gets pumped once they see the Rocky footage and tries to give the Phillies that extra little jolt to help them come out on top.

I guess Rob Thomson tunes out whenever the movie scene plays because his thought process was to go for the tie in Game 2 of the National League Division Series.

“I wanted to play for the tie,” Thomson said. “I liked where our bullpen was at as compared to theirs.”

Sidenote, the Phillies were without Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm, Tanner Banks, and Jhoan Duran at this time of the contest. Meanwhile the Dodgers still had Roki Sasaki, Tanner Scott, Anthony Banda, and Tyler Glasnow available. I’m not really sure how Thomson felt Philadelphia edged out Los Angeles in terms of the bullpen here.

Anyway, with the Dodgers ahead 4-1 in the ninth inning, Nick Castellanos’ one-armed swing knocked in a pair of runners to cut into Los Angeles’ lead. Castellanos pushed the envelope legging out a double to reach second base safely and avoid being Philadelphia’s first out.

Having Castellanos in scoring position and three opportunities to plate the outfielder, Thomson elected to go with a unique route despite the Phillies having the momentum on their side. Thomson told Bryson Stott to bunt with the intention of moving Castellanos 90-feet closer to home. Fans throughout the ballpark were confused as to why Thomson let Stott sacrifice himself in a situation when every out matters.

The outcome couldn’t have gone worse for the Phillies. Stott showed bunt on the first pitch so Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy pinched in closer to home plate knowing the lefty would square up again. Stott got the bunt down in the direction of Muncy who fielded it and fired the ball to Mookie Betts covering third base to get Castellanos out. The Dodgers executed this play to a tee.

Bryson Stott bunts and the Dodgers get the lead runner! pic.twitter.com/AuwfTicb7u
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 7, 2025

“There are things that you do in spring training that never come throughout the regular season and the wheel play that we pulled off on that bunt was picture perfect by Max and Mookie,” Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman said.

The decision to go bunt is still head scratching since the Phillies unnecessarily burnt one of their final three outs. Nobody knows what would have happened if Stott were permitted to swing and again, at the very least Castellanos would remain in scoring position.

Thomson made another decision that backfired on him two innings prior.

Teoscar Hernández singled and Freeman doubled when Jesús Luzardo went back out for the seventh inning. Thomson turned to Kerkering to get out of the jam, another interesting choice by Philadelphia's manager. Kerkering’s MO has been his inability to limit his inherited runners from scoring. Kerkering has let 56% of his inherited runners cross home plate since May 29, and 44% this season. The leagues average was 32% this year.

Kerkering struggled again giving up an RBI fielder's choice to Kiké Hernández and a two-run single to Will Smith. Already down in the series 1-0, maybe that's the time for Thomson to bring Duran in and possibly prevent the damage from getting out of reach and try making it a series again.

The Phillies have their backs against the walls and having a set bullpen order and set lineup with a struggling Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper following one another clearly isn't working. Thomson needs to shake something up because Monday's defeat makes it seven of Philadelphia's last eight postseason games that ended in a loss. It’s great to continuously make the playoffs, but if the team can’t get anywhere the blame lies on the manager.