The frustrations of the Philadelphia Phillies' offense lingered through eight innings. There wasn't much hope for a group that collectively couldn't find the crucial hit to get things going in their favor.
Staring at a 2-0 deficit in the National League Division Series, the Phillies needed anything to get themselves going. Finally, in the ninth, they had life.
Trailing by three runs, the Phillies mustered three consecutive base hits from the middle of their order to trail by one. Nick Castellanos hit a two-run double to finally give the Phillies offense some momentum against a Dodgers pitching staff they couldn't hit for 17 innings.
The score was 4-3, and the Dodgers made a pitching change. Bryson Stott was set to face lefty Alex Avila with Castellanos on second and no outs. A base hit moves Castellanos to third at the very least, perhaps scores him and ties the game up -- keeping the offensive train moving.
Stott, who was just a .575 OPS against left-handed pitchers this season, was given the bunt signal. The result went as expected, much to the Phillies' chagrin.
A bunt toward third base was picked up by Max Muncy and fired over to Mookie Betts to get Castellanos out. Momentum swung in favor of the Dodgers, who were on the ropes as the Phillies' offense was finally starting to show life.
"I was given the bunt sign," Stott said. "So I'm gonna get the bunt down there."
That decision will linger for this Phillies team, one that finally started to have a pulse on offense this postseason. Harrison Bader followed with a single that likely would have scored the tying run if Castellanos was still on base, creating more second-guessing of Thomson's decision to have Stott bunt.
Scoring runs was already difficult for this Phillies team. Somehow, it became more challenging.
"I wanted to play for the tie," Thomson said. "I liked where our bullpen was compared to theirs."
That decision played a crucial role in the 2-0 deficit the Phillies are facing in the NLDS, masking the problem that has lied with this group through two games. Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper were a combined 1-for-10 in Game 2 and 2-for-21 in the series. None of the top three players in the Phillies lineup has an extra-base hit, and they have come up short in the biggest of moments.
In the bottom of the ninth with two outs, the Dodgers put in Roki Sasaki to face Turner with the tying run on second. Turner hit an inside fastball to second base, ending the game and capping off a performance in which the top three in the lineup left four runners on base in a one-run loss.
The Phillies were one hit away from turning the series around, making the loss all the more frustrating.
"Everyone feels that. The stadium feels that. We feel it," Turner said. "Feels like we're one hit away. Two nights ago, we felt like that too, breaking the game open and maybe getting the win.
"Tonight felt like the same thing. That's the difference in these games. We gotta do more."
The top of the lineup certainly has played a factor in the outcome of this series. With the game knotted up at 0-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Harper came up with runners on first and second and one out. He struck out, part of his 1-for-7 performance in this series. Schwarber has struck out five times in eight plate appearances and Turner failed to deliver the tying single in the ninth.
In a game of failure, the three players on the Phillies making a combined $709 million have been gigantic flops.
"I think those guys are trying to do a little too much right now," Thomson said. "Instead of just being themselves and looking for base hits and the power will come."
Which makes Thomson's decision to have Stott bunt even more puzzling. The outcome is giving an out to a team that was on the ropes and about to let the Phillies back in the series. The Phillies would have needed to win one game in Los Angeles if the momentum didn't shift back in the Dodgers' favor, setting the stage for a potential Game 5 back in Citizens Bank Park.
Now, the Phillies have to win two in Los Angeles for that to happen. A tall task for an offense that's hitting .203 through two games in this series.
Perhaps that average is a misnomer if the series is tied 1-1. The bunt will be a decision talked about in Phillies lore for a long time.
"I don't think any team is ever out of it," Turner said. "This time of year you never know what's gonna happen. You gotta keep pushing, keep grinding, keep fighting. Maybe good things can happen for you and you can pull something off that's pretty crazy."