Rob Thomson, Phillies Have An Unused Bullet Left to Fire
Red October lives to see another day. A piggyback pitching plan with Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez worked about as well as Rob Thomson could’ve realistically hoped in an 8-2…
Red October lives to see another day. A piggyback pitching plan with Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez worked about as well as Rob Thomson could’ve realistically hoped in an 8-2 victory in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
The Philadelphia Phillies have struck for their first win of the series. The manager and his players stressed the intangible strengths of poise, confidence, and momentum that helped them fend off adversity for one more night.
Kyle Schwarber, the undisputed clubhouse leader whose moonshot home run at Dodger Stadium turned the tides for the Phillies, summarized the attitude he hopes can carry the Phillies to an improbable comeback.
“We’re going to deploy all weapons at any time. These are obviously must-win games, so there’s going to be no bullets left. We’re going to use everything that we have to try to win baseball games here because it’s win or go home.”
-Kyle Schwarber
An unorthodox pitching plan with Nola and Suarez helped wake up the Phillies in Thomson’s first effective turning point decision in the NLDS. He has another bullet he’s yet to fire sitting in his bullpen one day later.
Walker Buehler
The Phillies opted for a low-risk flier with Walker Buehler entering the stretch run in September without a defined role. Thomson spoke highly of the long-time Dodgers righty entering the NLDS after three effective regular season appearances.
“He’s a winner. He has that aura about him. We’re going to use him out of the pen in this series, whether it’s for length or for one inning. That’s to be seen, but he’s a great teammate. He’s in the middle of everything in that clubhouse. He’s a good guy to have around. He’s got a lot of talent.”
-Rob Thomson
Buehler pitched 13 ⅔ innings in three appearances for the Phillies and allowed just one run. He threw five innings apiece in his two starts. Caleb Cotham drew off his past relationship with Buehler and tweaked his mechanics after the veteran struggled in his only season with the Boston Red Sox in 2025.
The grizzled 31-year-old spoke about a potential playoff role after throwing 3 ⅔ scoreless innings on a piggyback with Taijuan Walker on September 19.
“I’m here to win a world title. Whatever kind of piece I can be in that from a starting pitcher to a cheerleader, I really don’t care. I haven’t been here very long, but I’ve really enjoyed this team. Next time we celebrate, I want to feel like I was a part of it, and so, whatever they ask me to do.”
-Walker Buehler
Buehler has started 18 career postseason games. His 19th appearance and first from the bullpen was the most memorable. The two-time All-Star drove the final nail in the coffin of the New York Yankees and clinched the World Series for the Dodgers in 2024.
He’s posted a 3.04 ERA in 94 ⅔ career postseason innings. His 3.17 strikeout to walk ratio lands closer to his career average than his underwhelming 1.51 rate from 2025, which included a shaky six walks in his short stint with the Phillies.
Buehler won’t provide the dynamite solution to lead the Phillies to a historic comeback, but Dave Dombrowski didn’t sign him to be a superstar. The Phillies have a loaded roster with a lucrative payroll, and they simply added a player with a hard-nosed attitude who might provide an extra boost in exactly the type of situation they’re facing in Los Angeles.
“One thing he doesn’t do: You don’t have to worry about him, get concerned about any type of anxiety pitching in the postseason game when we get to that point.”
-Dave Dombrowski
The Bridge to Jhoan Duran
The Phillies reached the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season on the strength of their starting pitching. Their comfortable distance atop the leaderboard in innings pitched was greater than the distance between the Cleveland Guardians in second and the Tampa Bay Rays in 14th.
However, the valuable length that helped the Phillies to 96 wins meant absolutely nothing in two losses at Citizens Bank Park to begin the NLDS. Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo failed to put the exclamation points on solid starts by finishing with the conviction the Phillies would've hoped for.
The Bridge to Jhoan Duran failed them during a disastrous sixth inning in Game 1 and a disastrous seventh inning in Game 2. The starters didn't provide shutdown length, and Thomson's shaky bridge of setup men with David Robertson, Matt Strahm, and Orion Kerkering couldn’t clean up any mess enough to hand a lead to Duran.
Thomson saw manageable pitch counts and no signs of fatigue for Sanchez and Luzardo entering their respective final innings.
However, the evolving strategy of shorter starts and more bullpen matchup preferences forces a manager’s hand quicker in the playoffs. Leaning on Sanchez in Game 4 for a dominant start of more than six innings isn’t the same as leaning on Cole Hamels in 2008 or Cliff Lee in 2009.
The traditional pitching structure failed the Phillies at home, but an unorthodox plan with Nola and Suarez finally countered Dave Roberts’ aggressive deployment of all available pitching arms to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the NLDS.
Thomson and the Phillies have the option to deploy a similar strategy with a veteran right-hander and a prime-age lefty through the bulk of Game 4. Duran also awaits at the back end capable of pitching up to two innings. A creative strategy utilizing Buehler could limit the dependence on Strahm or other relievers that haven’t found their footing during the playoffs – regardless of when Thomson uses Buehler.
An opener or length role could also materialize in Game 5 with southpaw Jesus Luzardo in line after Sanchez.
Crazier scenarios – including one last October with Walker Buehler pitching for their current opponent – have boosted eventual World Series winners. Thomson isn’t in a position to leave a bullet unused facing elimination, and he must consider a role for Buehler in Game 4.
