Phillies’ bullpen, once among the strongest in baseball, is under the microscope after NLDS loss

NEW YORK — The remnants of the Phillies bullpen trudged across the outfield, making the long walk back to the visitor’s clubhouse for what would be the final time this year. Firework smoke drifted past them toward second base, where the Mets had flocked to celebrate their first National League Championship Series berth since 2015.

It had been a disastrous series for the Phillies’ relief pitching. After being one of the strongest units in baseball during the regular season, the bullpen had allowed 16 earned runs in four games. That included all four Mets runs in Wednesday’s 4-1 loss in the NLDS, bringing an end to the Phillies’ season.

Even manager Rob Thomson didn’t have immediate answers for the sudden and contagious collapse.

» READ MORE: How much longer will the Phillies’ World Series window remain open after being ousted by the Mets?

“The bullpen might be some of it’s execution, maybe some of it’s [the Mets lineup] being familiar with our guys,” he said. “I don’t know. It should work both ways, though.”

Carlos Estévez was the big fish that Dave Dombrowski reeled in at the trade deadline this year to fortify the bullpen, in exchange for a pair of top pitching prospects. The Phillies paid a premium for him as a rental with the intention of also getting a World Series ring out of the deal.

But two and a half months later, Estévez left a fastball in the middle of the zone for Francisco Lindor, and that was the end of that.

Estévez said he knew right away Lindor had put a good swing on the pitch that was just a bit lower than he’d intended. He hunched over on the mound, watching the grand slam carry all the way into the Phillies’ bullpen in right-center field. The relievers didn’t even move as the fifth home run allowed by one of their own this postseason landed in front of them.

“I know I came over for that situation, [those] type of situations like that, and it hurts,” Estévez said. “It is tough to lose a game like that.”

Dombrowski’s other two trade deadline acquisitions — Austin Hays and Tanner Banks — didn’t exactly pan out in the postseason, either. Hays, whose second half of the season was derailed with a string of injuries, wasn’t the everyday player he had been expected to be. He also wasn’t able to fulfill expectations as a countermeasure for left-handed pitching. He stayed on the bench in Game 4 while the Mets sent out lefties José Quintana and David Peterson.

Tanner Banks, on the other hand, typically pitches in lower-leverage spots. And with the way the Phillies’ offense performed in the series, there weren’t many of those to be had.

But out of the three acquisitions, Estévez had been the biggest name and came at the highest price.

To be fair, he entered Wednesday’s game in a difficult spot. Jeff Hoffman had warmed up several times early in the game as Ranger Suárez waded in and out of trouble. When he was officially called on during the fifth, Hoffman secured two outs, and then was sent back out for three more. But by then he’d lost his command, and Estévez took over with the bases loaded and one out.

Lindor was 0-for-4 against Estévez in his career before the grand slam.

“I think we weren’t able to make the pitches we needed to,” said catcher J.T. Realmuto. “But also, those guys, you saw they did the same thing in Milwaukee. They just grind out at-bats, they don’t strike out. They put the ball in play. They’ll take their walks; they’ll take their singles. You really just have to give credit to them, but we certainly could have executed more in certain spots.”

Like Estévez, Hoffman is also set to reach free agency this offseason. The right-hander had been one of Thomson’s most dependable arms this season, and joined Matt Strahm as the Phillies’ first pair of All-Star relievers.

» READ MORE: The Mets rode the ‘wave’ like the 2022 Phillies, leaving this Phillies team looking for answers

But Hoffman also suffered from a lack of execution once October rolled around. He was charged with seven earned runs this postseason, and took the loss on Wednesday.

“All-Star wasn’t one of my goals, the World Series was,” Hoffman said. “Back to the drawing board. I hope I’m back here next year with the same group and get another crack at it.”