Did Rob Thomson Get it Wrong with Wheeler?

Postseason in baseball is different than the other 162 games the team will play during the regular season.

Every action has a consequence that is magnified ten-fold. Every decision will be scrutinized, especially if that decision comes from a manager and results in a loss.

On Monday evening, Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson made a fatal error, he kept ace Zack Wheeler in the game too long. 

Through six innings Wheeler looked nearly unstoppable. He gave up just one earned run but his pitch count, and velocity, was reaching a level that indicated that maybe it was time for Thomson to turn to the bullpen.

But he didn't. Instead, Wheeler went back out for the seventh and that when disaster struck.

With just one out in the seventh, Wheeler gave up a two-run home run to Travis d'Arnaud in what many felt was a downturn that would be tough to recover from.

With a day off on Tuesday, it was a shock to see Thomson not turn to a bullpen who has been incredibly effective of late, especially with a four-run lead. 

But he stuck with his man through it all, to the detriment of the victory.

“I wanted him to go back out,” Thomson said. “He said he was fine. And he still looked it.”

Clearly he wasn't.

At the end of the day, the Phillies thrive off of the adversity. And now they get the chance to play at home again in October in an atmosphere that no opposing team wants to play in.

Philadelphia is hot, but one misstep will be over analyzed until a victory removes it from the minds of fans and media alike.