There’s all the time a morning after the mourning.
Tuesday offered a somber, almost funereal atmosphere at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia following the removal of Phillies manager Rob Thomson. The membership’s 9-19 begin proved an excessive amount of for the 62-year old-skipper to beat. Phillies gamers, feeling accountable for their former skipper’s firing, carried the weight of his sudden absence.
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But whereas Thomson’s job couldn’t be saved, Philly’s 2026 season stays alive beneath interim supervisor Don Mattingly.
Crucially, the Phillies actually won a darn game on Tuesday. Jesús Luzardo tossed seven shutout innings. A struggling lineup collected seven runs on 11 hits. Beleaguered third baseman Alec Bohm performed his finest sport of the 12 months. Trea Turner went a crisp 4-for-5. Free-agent addition Adolis García cranked an enormous, two-run RBI double. The night time was a helpful, much-needed reminder of what this ballclub is meant to be.
Baby steps. Even after that victory, the Phillies are nine games under .500 and 6 video games adrift of a playoff spot. Their 10-19 document stays tied for the worst in MLB. Only the equally discombobulated New York Mets are retaining Philly firm in the cellar. Their playoff odds have been sliced in half since Opening Day. And whereas there are 133 video games left to repair this factor, it’s getting late early in Philadelphia.
Let’s zoom out and assess the scenario in Philly.
Why have the Phillies been so dangerous?
Don’t blame the outdated guys. They’ve been good.
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This has so typically been the hypothesized downfall of this period of Phillies baseball: that the core of Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto would age out of being offensive difference-makers. That’s an inexpensive fear, positive, however not one which has come to fruition simply but. Harper and Schwarber are each OPSing round .850. Turner began slowly however has heated up. Realmuto, who should be back from the IL soon, was performing capably earlier than he received damage.
The younger bucks have been the actual subject. Phillies place gamers of their 20s are at present hitting a mixed .205/.259/.293 for a league-worst OPS of .553. That mark is almost a full 100 factors decrease than that of the second-from-the-bottom Mets. Frankly, it is an embarrassing quantity. The predominant culprits? Bohm, second baseman Bryson Stott and fill-in catcher Rafael Marchan.
Things are much less dire on the pitching entrance, the place the Phillies have been supremely unlucky in regard to batted-ball luck. Some of that has to do with a middling protection, however a rotation with this a lot expertise received’t shoulder a 5.52 ERA for for much longer — particularly now that Zack Wheeler is back and Taijuan Walker is unemployed.
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What’s their greatest drawback?
The backside of the lineup has to determine issues out. It’s actually that straightforward. Bohm, Stott and García must discover a option to be nearer to common than downright unplayable. Something resembling a bounce-back from that trio is essential as a result of the Phillies have virtually zero minor-league depth.
Since president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski took over in December 2020, the Phillies have matriculated simply three of their very own draft picks to the majors: Orion Kerkering, Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford. To be honest, signing big-ticket free brokers like the Phillies do commonly comes with the ceding of prime picks. But nonetheless, this group’s incapacity to backfill a few of its personal holes has exploded into an actual subject.
Earlier this 12 months, for occasion, the membership referred to as up a 25-year-old Dominican outfielder named Felix Reyes. The gargantuan slugger, due to swing-and-miss points, didn’t rank on any main prospect record this previous winter. He went yard in his very first at-bat however has simply two hits since then, giving him a .167 common. Last weekend, Reyes hit in the cleanup spot towards a left-handed starter.
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What’s worse? Nobody besides for Realmuto is on the IL. Reyes, enjoyable as he may be to observe, shouldn’t be Plan A, B or C for a group with World Series aspirations. His inclusion on the big-league roster proper now is an indication that the Phillies lack the organizational depth that contenders normally have.
Is there any excellent news?
Yes: the schedule.
Philadelphia’s latest woes are very a lot related to their latest run of opponents. From April 13 to 26, the Phillies performed a mixed 13 straight video games towards the Braves and Cubs, two excellent ballclubs that have been completely on fireplace at the time. Now, there’s no excuse for going 2-11 in that span, however issues will definitely get simpler for the Phillies as the calendar flips to May.
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They’ve received two extra video games towards a really flawed San Francisco Giants group earlier than a visit to Miami for 4 towards the 14-16 Marlins. After that, the 15-14 Nomad A’s and 13-17 Colorado Rockies come to city.
There aren’t any gimmes on this league, however that’s a a lot kinder stretch of the schedule for a group that actually wants a good bounce or two.