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4 Phillies Who Cost Their Team the NLCS

A favorite doesn't blow a 2-0 NLCS lead without a few people really letting the team down. That's what happened with these Phillies.

By Jason Schandl

Nick Castellanos was one of the main Phillies to blame for the NLCS collapse.
Nick Castellanos was one of the main Phillies to blame for the NLCS collapse. / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
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That was a rough one. After going up 2-0 in the series it felt like the Phillies had all the momentum in the world and that an NLCS was all but inevitable. That came crashing down in record time.

A painful series like this, especially against a heavy underdog in the Arizona Diamondbacks, hurts more than a typical one too. And when you're supposed to win, you don't blow a 2-0 series lead without some things going very wrong.

Here are the Phillies most to blame for falling shy of a World Series bid.

1. Craig Kimbrel

Talk about a rough series for Craig Kimbrel.

After a terrific start to the playoffs (and even a great first game in the NLCS), Kimbrel totally fell apart.

He earned losses in both Game 3 and Game 4, not making it through a full inning in either. He couldn’t find his spot at all and showed none of what made him so great earlier in the postseason.

He redeemed himself a little bit in Game 6, though he still wasn’t terrific there, and it was a major case of too little too late.

Kimbrel finished the NLCS with a 12.0 ERA (backed by a 9.92 FIP), giving up 5 walks, 4 hits and 4 earned runs in just 3.0 innings pitched.

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