Phillies manager Rob Thomson's curious decisions doomed team in Game 4 implosion vs. Diamondbacks

The Phillies and the Diamondbacks were short-handed in the pitching department on Friday, so Game 4 would likely come down to which manager pulled the right strings. 

However, nothing Phillies manager Rob Thomson did seemed to work out and his curious decisions down the stretch ultimately doomed the Phillies' chances. If Thomson was guilty of anything, it was going to the well one too many times while expecting several players to come through who had failed to do so recently. 

A day after watching both rookie Orion Kerkering and veteran Craig Kimbrel struggle coming out of the bullpen, Thomson called on each to play a significant role Friday night, with disastrous results.  

Kerkering faltered during his Game 3 appearance on Thursday, failing to record an out while allowing the game-tying run to score after facing only three batters. Yet, with the Phillies nursing a 5-2 lead in the seventh of Game 4, Thomson returned to the first-year hurler, who promptly loaded the bases, then walked in a run before getting the Phils out of the inning still ahead 5-3. 

In the eighth, Thomson hadn't learned his lesson, this time asking Kimbrel, who allowed second baseman Ketel Marte's walk-off hit a day ago, to get the Phillies through to the ninth inning with a two-run lead. Predictably, the wheels instantly fell off. 

After allowing two of the first three batters he faced to reach base, Kimbrel gave up a three-run bomb to pinch-hitter Alek Thomas, which tied the game 5-5. 

Instead of taking Kimbrel out, Thomson didn't give him the hook until he put two more runners on base, but it was too late. Jose Alvarado entered the game and immediately gave up a go-ahead RBI single to catcher Gabriel Moreno and that was that.