3 Phillies to blame for wasting Wheeler’s gem in brutal NLDS Game 1 loss to Mets

It appeared as though the Philadelphia Phillies were well on their way to a NLDS Game 1 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday. Kyle Schwarber had his record-setting home run to get things started for the Phillies, while ace Zack Wheeler augmented that by tossing an absolute gem, dominating the Mets over seven innings of one-hit ball.

However, things began to implode during the eighth inning as the Mets rallied to score five runs in the frame off of the usually-reliable Phillies bullpen. At the same time, the Phillies had practically no answer to New York’s stingy pitching all game. All in all, it ultimately led to a disappointing Game 1 6-2 loss for Philadelphia.

So who were the ones to blame for the NLDS Game 1 flop by the Phillies?

3 Phillies to blame for wasting Wheeler’s gem in brutal NLDS Game 1 loss to Mets

Jeff Hoffman

After being one of the most reliable relievers on the team throughout the regular season, Jeff Hoffman sure bombed out in a big way in his 2024 postseason debut. Without a blown save to his resume since May 16, which also happened to be against the Mets, Hoffman chose the worst possible time to commit his most recent one.

He failed to register a a single out as two hits and a walk later, the game was tied at one. It also marked his second consecutive disastrous outing dating back to his last appearance at the end of the regular season. Hoffman was mercifully replaced by Matt Strahm, who unfortunately became the next culprit on this list.

Matt Strahm

Similar to Hoffman, Strahm was as dominant as one could be during the regular season for the Phillies. Sporting an impressive 1.87 ERA and 0.75 WHIP heading into the postseason, he promptly gave up two more runs on two hits and a sacrifice fly.

Surprisingly, per Paul Casella of MLB.com, Strahm didn’t throw a single ball among the 17 pitches that he offered up. So no wonder the Mets were able to tee off of him, especially if they were anticipating that a strike was coming each time. That put the Mets up 3-1, a lead they wouldn’t end up relinquishing. The collapse was certainly not the script that Philadelphia had probably written up, as it painfully brought back some Craig Kimbrel vibes for their first playoff game of 2024.

Trea Turner

But as easy as it is to put the blame on the bullpen, had the Phillies put up some more runs over the course of the game, perhaps the high-leverage pressure wouldn’t have gotten to the relievers. In particular, one Phillies player failed to capitalize on what turned out to be some key moments of the game. That player was star shortstop Trea Turner.

In the first inning following Schwarber’s leadoff homer, Turner had the opportunity to build upon that momentum, but ended up striking out. In the third inning, Turner would stall a Phillies’ rally a bit when he grounded into a force out following a Schwarber single. Once again in the fifth, with Johan Rojas in scoring position with one out, Turner popped up feebly to Mets first baseman Pete Alonso. Finally, with a chance to help the Phillies to a potential spirited comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning, he struck out once again, ending an 0-for-4 day for supposedly one of the big-game players on the squad.

Of course, it’s just one playoff game so far for the Phillies with likely many more to come. As a result, the select trio will certainly have their chances at redemption in the coming days. At that time, hopefully they will go from zeroes to heroes once again in leading Philadelphia to success.