NASHVILLE, Tenn. — There was no need Monday night for a substantial celebration. Rob Thomson, now under contract as the Phillies manager through 2025, would have dinner with president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and general manager Sam Fuld. They could toast to an extended partnership no one envisioned 18 months ago when Thomson became the interim manager.
They could remember how the Phillies were in turmoil in June 2022 — staring at yet another regime change in the dugout whenever Thomson’s time as the interim steward ended. That might have meant another new pitching coach and another new hitting coach for a franchise that churned through different philosophies and personalities in the previous decade
The team announced via social media that bullpen coach Dave Lundquist and assistant hitting coach Jason Camilli have been let go. The rest of the MLB coaching staff will return intact next season, however.
This is not surprising given the failures of both units during the NLCS.
Let’s start with the bullpen, which suffered critical meltdowns during Games 3 and 4. Philadelphia had a 1-0 lead in the seventh inning of Game 3 but was unable to hold it. Orion Kerkering and Craig Kimbrel combined to allow 2 runs on 5 hits and 2 walks while recording just 1 out, enabling the Diamondbacks to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth.
Game 4 was even worse. The Phillies led that one 5-2 going into the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t hang on. Kimbrel took his second loss in as many nights after giving up 3 runs in the bottom of the eighth, allowing Arizona to tie the series at 2-2 with another late rally.
If Philadelphia had won just one of those games, it would be getting ready to play in the World Series right now. Instead, the Phillies’ bullpen let the Diamondbacks back into the series and missed two golden opportunities to put nails in the coffin.
After Game 5, however, Philadelphia’s offense was to blame. Needing just one more win at home to close out the series, Phillies hitters didn’t show up in Games 6 and 7, combining for just 3 runs on 11 hits. Philadelphia’s lineup officially disappeared midway through Game 7, failing to record a single hit after the fifth inning.
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