"The Phillies put together a pitching rotation for the ages. It couldn't overcome an offense that is aging. And that is how their season ends, a 1-0 loss to the Cardinals in Game 5 of the National League Division Series. It's a most ignominous of endings for a team that couldn't score one run for its ace.

One run.

And as the Phillies go into their offseason, this is the thing that needs fixing the most.

You could look at any number of instances to show that this offense needs an overhaul, that the salad days from 2008 and 2009, when the Phillies could mash like no other team in the National League, are behind them.

Instead, this is what the Phillies had on a night when Roy Halladay pitched on pure guts: Ryan Howard went hitless in his last 15 at-bats in the series. Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz, the No. 7 and No. 8 hitters in the lineup, respectively, were a combined 3-for-36."