Rob Thomson, Phillies Unable To Build ‘The Bridge to Duran’

The masses applauded Dave Dombrowski when he acquired fireballer Jhoan Duran ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline. Rob Thomson finally had the indisputable go-to arm to lock down the ninth inning of a tight playoff game for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Acquiring Duran was supposed to help the rest of the bullpen fall into place. Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering would no longer pitch in save situations, and the addition of David Robertson meant another experienced high-leverage arm in the mix.

The theoretical bullpen puzzle and the most durable starting rotation in the majors meant very little when the Los Angeles Dodgers stormed back on the Phillies to win Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

Thomson now faces a confusing two-sided coin in his pitching strategy. The Bridge to Jhoan Duran failed the Phillies in a 5-3 loss. The ability to maneuver the bullpen has major implications in the Phillies' chances to rally in the NLDS, their future with a shrinking window of World Series contention, and Thomson’s fate as the manager.

The Phillies led the majors by a longshot in innings pitched by starters in 2025 . Their comfortable distance atop the leaderboard by 41⅔ innings was greater than the distance between the Cleveland Guardians in 2nd and the Tampa Bay Rays in 14th.

The valuable length that helped the Phillies to 96 wins doesn’t translate directly to the MLB Postseason. The evolving strategy of shorter starts and more bullpen matchup preferences forces a manager’s hand quicker than during the 162. 

Thomson entered the playoffs searching for a balance of length from his starters and effective short appearances from his relievers to build the Bridge to Duran.

Pitching failed the Phillies in critical sixth and seventh inning spots in Game 1.

Cristopher Sanchez threw his changeup with excellent conviction for five innings. He struck out Shohei Ohtani in all three of his at-bats. However, he failed to put the exclamation point on a good start.

A dominant outing from an ace starter reminiscent of Cole Hamels in 2008 or Cliff Lee in 2009 would’ve carried the Phillies through the sixth and seventh innings. Instead, Sanchez left the game up to a shaky group of relievers. 

The Phillies will send Jesus Luzardo to the hill in Game 2. The 28-year-old flashed dominance in 2025 with the benefit of Caleb Cotham’s adjustments to his arm angle and the development of the sweeper as a putaway breaking pitch.

Luzardo pitched seven or more innings in his final three starts of the regular season. However, he’s less likely than Sanchez to pitch late into the game without the trust of the manager as the ace of the staff. Opponents did damage against Luzardo in his second trip through the order in multiple questionable outings during the regular season.

Ranger Suarez, the likely Game 3 starter, has pitched effectively in eight career postseason starts. He’s only thrown 36 ⅓ innings, however, and pitched into the sixth inning once in those eight tries.

Robertson battled through 20 games down the stretch to earn the preferences as the top right-handed setup man. He allowed five earned runs in his final seven appearances of 2025, however. He allowed two runners to reach base to begin the fateful seventh inning in Game 1 and ultimately took the loss.

Strahm failed to clean up Robertson's dirty inning. Teoscar Hernandez sat on Strahm's high fastball to send a devastating three-run home run to the seats in right-center field. 

While Orion Kerkering pitched a scoreless eighth inning, he also struggled down the stretch in the regular season. His sweeper has slipped from a dominant putaway pitch, and he lost his spot as the preferred high-leverage right-hander after the Phillies signed Robertson.

When the best pitchers on a ball club fail to execute, it doesn’t necessarily mean the manager used a flawed mindset in his decisions to use those pitchers. Riding Sanchez for an ace performance was the Phillies’ best path to winning a low-scoring game. It didn’t work. Robertson and Strahm were the two best setup men on the roster entering the playoffs. Neither could hold the Dodgers.

However, Thomson ignored the opportunity for more creative options to push the Phillies across the finish line in Game 1.

Dave Roberts handed the ball to starters Tyler Glasnow and Roki Sasaki for eight of the nine outs he needed from his bullpen. He mixed and matched his way to the World Series in 2024 with openers, starters pitching in relief, and an unlikely finale from Walker Buehler. He spoke before Game 1 about his lack of hesitation to use pitchers in unfamiliar roles.

The Phillies included starters Aaron Nola, Walker Buehler, and Taijuan Walker on the NLDS roster. Thomson also offered up before Game 1 that Suarez was available out of the bullpen. He passed on Roberts’ strategy of ripping off the band aid and instead leaned on a unit of relievers who didn’t enter the playoffs with convincing momentum.

Thomson helped the Phillies navigate the enormous weight of World Series expectations that impacted every single moment of the 162-game regular season. He deserves consideration for National League Manager of the Year, but he’s somehow more likely to lose his job than win the award.

The lucrative payroll, an aging core of hitters, repeated playoff exits, and upcoming offseason roster decisions have shifted the focus away from regular season success - whether fair or unfair.

Nightengale previously told 97.5 The Fanatic in 2024 that Dombrowski might've pursued Alex Cora as a replacement for Thomson if the Boston Red Sox hadn't extended Cora.

Thomson has reached the playoffs in all four of his seasons as a major league manager. He’s balanced high-priced stars and big personalities with track records in other MLB organizations smoothly in one of the three best eras in Phillies history. Could he really become the scapegoat for disappointing playoff losses in small sample sizes despite his body of success?

An aggressive owner like John Middleton and a passionate Phillies fan base view Red October through a different lens. It's tough to find flaws in Thomson’s resume, but possibly the biggest differentiator between managing to regular season success and managing to postseason success is the deployment of bullpen arms.

While the sensible decisions didn't egregiously sink the Phillies' chances in Game 1 – like some will have you believe – Rob Thomson also didn't work the type of bullpen masterclass that's characterized some of the most successful postseason managers.

The Phillies enter Game 2 with their backs against the wall. Jesus Luzardo or any other starter is unlikely to pitch through the eighth inning and hand the ball to Duran. Thomson will face similar decisions through the end of the series.

His decisions and their subsequent outcomes won't just determine the outcome of the NLDS, they just might determine his future with the Phillies.