Inside The Phillies

Did Rob Thomson Get it Wrong with Wheeler?

Philadelphia Phillies starter Zack Wheeler was cruising until he wasn't. Was that on manager Rob Thomson?
Did Rob Thomson Get it Wrong with Wheeler?
Did Rob Thomson Get it Wrong with Wheeler?

Postseason in baseball is different than the other 162 games the team will play during the regular season.

Every action has a consequence that is magnified ten-fold. Every decision will be scrutinized, especially if that decision comes from a manager and results in a loss.

On Monday evening, Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson made a fatal error, he kept ace Zack Wheeler in the game too long. 

Through six innings Wheeler looked nearly unstoppable. He gave up just one earned run but his pitch count, and velocity, was reaching a level that indicated that maybe it was time for Thomson to turn to the bullpen.

But he didn't. Instead, Wheeler went back out for the seventh and that when disaster struck.

With just one out in the seventh, Wheeler gave up a two-run home run to Travis d'Arnaud in what many felt was a downturn that would be tough to recover from.

With a day off on Tuesday, it was a shock to see Thomson not turn to a bullpen who has been incredibly effective of late, especially with a four-run lead. 

But he stuck with his man through it all, to the detriment of the victory.

“I wanted him to go back out,” Thomson said. “He said he was fine. And he still looked it.”

Clearly he wasn't.

At the end of the day, the Phillies thrive off of the adversity. And now they get the chance to play at home again in October in an atmosphere that no opposing team wants to play in.

Philadelphia is hot, but one misstep will be over analyzed until a victory removes it from the minds of fans and media alike.


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Kade Kistner
KADE KISTNER

Kade Kistner is the publisher and beat writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. An alumnus of Tulane University, Kade graduated in 2017 with a degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduation, Kade commissioned into the United States Navy and attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, Fl. He served as a Naval Aviator and was stationed in Jacksonville, Fl.  During his time in school and the Navy, Kade began covering the MLB and NFL with USA Today, SB Nation, and Sports Illustrated.  Kade covered the New Orleans Saints, Texas Rangers, and numerous other teams within the Sports Illustrated network before launching Inside the Phillies, Inside the Astros, and Inside the Cubs. You can follow him on Twitter at @KadeKistner, or if you have any questions or comments he can be reached via email at kwkistner@gmail.com.