The Philadelphia Phillies were eliminated from the postseason by the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. They lost 2-1 in the best-of-three NL Wild Card series.

Plenty of blame will inevitably be placed on someone. One of the culprits being targeted is President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Rosenthal contends that Dombrowski let the bullpen down by not building it up the right way. That, combined with the aging of Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Trea Turner, Zack Wheeler, and Aaron Nola, who didn't produce or play defense, led to the result.

“A number of the Phillies’ most prominent players — from Harper to Schwarber to Turner; Wheeler to Aaron Nola to J.T. Realmuto — are 33 or older. The team is inconsistent offensively, shoddy defensively, and haunted by Dombrowski’s historic inability to build a quality bullpen.”

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Altogether, the bullpen finished the season 21st with an ERA of 4.43 and 42 saves. However, in Game 3 against the Braves, they fell apart.

In the 1st inning, Braves CF Michael Harris II hit a three-run homer off Nola. Then, Ozzie Albies hit a two-run dinger off Wheeler in the 4th inning. That, combined with an overexhausted Phillies bullpen from Game 2, led to their defeat.

It marks the end of an up-and-down season. After starting 9-19, the Phillies fought their way back from firing manager Rob Thomson to reach the postseason. Now, the future remains uncertain for interim manager Don Mattingly.

Dombrowski has been with the Phillies since 2021. They have reached the postseason every year since 2022.