Trea Turner, Phillies Fire Thomson After 9-19 Start
Trea Turner and the Phillies opened 9-19, and Rob Thomson lost his job because of it. Don Mattingly took over as interim manager after the club chose a new voice for a team that had already won four straight playoff appearances in the previous run.
Mattingly Takes Over
The change puts Mattingly in charge immediately, with the Phillies looking for a different response from a roster that had stalled badly out of the gate. Dave Dombrowski said the move was about getting "a new voice, a little different feeling," and the timing fit a club that had already fallen far behind expectations.
Philadelphia had gone 95 and 96 wins in the previous two seasons, then returned almost the same core last offseason. Instead of a reset, the front office largely ran it back, leaving the same aging group to carry another run.
Phillies Core Under Pressure
The Phillies are trying to become only the third team to win a World Series with four regulars aged 33 or older. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Turner and J.T. Realmuto make up that group, which has to produce enough offense for the roster to keep pace.
The biggest flaw has been on the other side of the matchup. Before Tuesday, the Phillies were 0-10 in games started by left-handers, not counting openers, and carried a.179/.270/.293 line against lefties. Those numbers were the worst in the majors in each category entering Tuesday.
Questions For Dombrowski
That leaves Dombrowski with a roster built around veteran bats and thin answers. Bo Bichette was the shortstop the Phillies thought they had with a seven-year, $200 million offer, but the Mets signed him to a three-year, $126 million deal instead. Adolis García was the only significant right-handed hitting addition, and Felix Reyes, a rookie right-handed hitter, batted cleanup last Tuesday.
The schedule may give the new manager some breathing room after 13 straight games against the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves. It also gives the Phillies a clearer test of whether Mattingly can squeeze better results from the same group that failed Thomson and has to hold up against the league’s left-handed starters.
