In October, MLB teams hope to be backed by elite pitching, while their lineup does just enough to win them games. The Phillies' starting rotation is among the best in baseball: Jesús Luzardo, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, and Aaron Nola, who has had an elite second half.
For Philadelphia, the starting pitching has never been the problem. It's their bullpen and lineup that have cost them a real shot at a World Series title.
The overarching question about this team has been the offense, which has been abysmal all season. They finished 22nd in OPS and 28th in wRC+. September brought another level of collapse for the offense. Philadelphia posted a miserable .660 OPS with a 90 wRC+, both bottom-three marks in MLB.
The Phillies' offense finished the year in the bottom of essentially every important offensive category, and the lineup they rolled out in Game 1 of their Wild Card series against the Braves is proof that they were primed for failure.
Let's ring it pic.twitter.com/e8gt0NN7HU
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 29, 2026
Phillies' Game 1 lineup vs. Braves was half-major leaguers
When the Phillies handed Trea Turner an 11-year, $300 million contract, they expected him to be the best right-handed hitter in their lineup. Philadelphia was counting on him to be a big-time producer atop the Phillies' order.
Overall, his Phillies tenure has not been good enough. This season has been the worst of his time here; he hit just .242 to go along with a .675 OPS, and just an 83 wRC+. Turner was hitless Tuesday and was picked off the only time he got on base.
Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper anchor this lineup down in the two and three holes, as two of the best left-handed hitters in the game. They can be counted on to do their job; it's all the players around them that are question marks.
Despite his big hit Tuesday, Alec Bohm has proven on several occasions he's not the cleanup hitter the Phillies need. Bohm hit just .249 with a .698 OPS this season. He was much-improved since the All-Star break, hitting .298 with a .794 OPS. Still, that's not the caliber of hitter that should be protecting one of baseball's best in Bryce Harper.
Derek Hill has been phenomal since the Phillies acquired him following the injury to Adolis Garcia. In 67 games with Philadelphia, he has hit .261 with a .783 OPS. He's been very good in his platoon role. However, with just a .652 career OPS, he's not exactly the ideal pick to hit in the middle of a playoff lineup.
Behind him sat Bryan De La Cruz, who appeared in just 34 MLB regular season games this season. His debut with the club provided a big boost to the lineup. Yet in September, De La Cruz hit just .200 with a .581 OPS.
The Phillies put together a middle-of-the-lineup of two players who classify as bench bats at their absolute best. It's an indictment on yet another failure by Dave Dombrowski, driving a clear regression from the club every single season.
At the seven spot, the Phillies had Bryson Stott. Stott was excellent out of the All-Star break and ultimately turned his season around offensively from June to August. In September, though, he became just another bat the Phillies are unable to rely on. He hit .237 with a .692 in the final month of the regular season.
At the eight spot, the Phils were stuck with Edmundo Sosa, who's taking Luis Arraez's spot in the lineup, but sliding over to the hot corner.Sosa has surprisingly been one of the Phillies' only reliable bats of late. Philadelphia's utility man posted a 1.329 and .927 OPS in August and September respectively.
Though he delivered a massive hit in Game 1, JT Realmuto has been a bottom 10 hitter in baseball since the All-Star festivities in Philadelphia. In the second half, he posted a 60 wRC+, ninth-worst in the league. He hit .204 with a .588 OPS over that span.
Ultimately, it was apparent coming into the season the Phillies offense was lackluster at best. The team's offense has disappeared in October for three straight seasons, and Dave Dombrowski has done virtually nothing to improve it.
Dombrowski delivered another wasted deadline, and it has put the Phillies on the ropes and will be to blame for another early exit and disappointing season for an aging core.
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