The era of Don Mattingly begins on Tuesday as the Philadelphia Phillies host the San Francisco Giants in game one of their three game series. Mattingly will serve as interim manager for the first time after the Phillies announced that they relieved Rob Thomson of his duties earlier on.
The change could not come at a better time for the Phillies as they have been in their worst stretch of baseball this millennium, having won just three of their last 18 games. With a new manager at the helm, the Phillies will look to turn the ship around before it is too late for the perennial postseason team.
For the first time in years, the Phillies are fighting for last place in Major League Baseball. As a team, the Phillies have scored the third-least runs while allowing the third-most in baseball. While the Phillies’ bullpen has been slightly better than this trend, the Phillies’ starting pitching staff has statistically been the worst in baseball, allowing 96 runs, a 5.80 ERA. For reference, the Phillies’ offense has scored 102 runs in total, just six more than the starters have allowed.
In short, there has been no single leak to patch. The whole ship has been taking on water. Pressure continues to mount on management to figure out the right moves to make to right the ship. Releasing Taijuan Walker last week was one such transaction. Now, Thomson’s job is the next to get the axe.
Thomson became the fastest manager in Phillies history to record 350 career wins on April 3, passing a mark previously attributed to Bill Shettsline. He is one of four managers in MLB history to reach the postseason in each of first four full seasons as a manager, joining Dave Robers, Aaron Boone, and Mike Matheny. Only the Dodgers and Braves have won more regular season games since Thomson took over as manager in 2022.
And yet, over the years, Thomson has faced ridicule for his constant use of left-right platoons at several positions, his lineup choices, and his management of the bullpen. With one major exception in Nick Castellanos, Phillies players have rarely had issues publicly with Thomson. And while that publicly continues to be the case, the Phillies’ player pool has collectively played their worst baseball in recent weeks.
Following the firing of Alex Cora by the Boston Red Sox, the cries for Thomson to be fired were at an all-time high. Now, the Phillies turn to a former National League Manager of the Year with a long rap sheet.
Mattingly’s first order of business will be to even the season series against the Giants, who took two of three in their first series earlier in April.
The series opener features two starters whose season lines do not tell the full story. Tyler Mahle enters at 1-3 with a 5.26 ERA and 26 strikeouts, but he is coming off his best start as a Giant after tossing seven scoreless innings against the Dodgers. The Phillies will need to force him into traffic early rather than allowing him to settle in.
Jesús Luzardo, meanwhile, enters at 1-3 with a 6.91 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 27 1/3 innings, showing both the swing-and-miss ability that makes him valuable and the inconsistency that has defined his April. If Luzardo works ahead and lands his secondary stuff, the Phillies should have a real chance to take the opener. If not, the game could quickly slip into familiar and uncomfortable territory.
Wednesday brings the best pitching duel of the series. Logan Webb may be entering at 2-3 with a 4.86 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 37 innings, but he remains the kind of starter who can frustrate a lineup with command, length and ground-ball contact.
Cristopher Sánchez counters as the Phillies’ clearest rotation bright spot, entering at 2-2 with a 2.94 ERA and 43 strikeouts over 33 2/3 innings. Sánchez gives them their best chance to control the night from the mound and stay away from the bullpen math that has too often worked against them.
The finale brings the most volatile matchup of the series. Adrian Houser enters with the roughest numbers of any scheduled starter at 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA, and his last outing did little to quiet concern after Miami tagged him for eight runs over four innings. The Phillies picked up four runs against Houser on April 6 and will need to match that total to aid their rookie starter.
Andrew Painter comes in at 1-2 with a 5.25 ERA and 21 strikeouts over 24 innings, a line that reflects both his upside and the learning curve that comes with establishing himself at the major-league level. Painter does not need to be perfect Thursday, but he does need to show that he is taking steps in the right direction.
With three right-handed pitchers scheduled for the Giants, Mattingly’s Phillies can use their more favorable left-handed bats in the lineup. Against right-handed pitching, the Phillies own a .708 OPS. While there is plenty of room for improvement in that number, it certainly looks better when compared to their .563 OPS against left-handed pitching.
Kyle Schwarber has had seven of his nine home runs against righties so far this season, leading the lineup with a 1.006 OPS (Edmundo Sosa owns a 1.091 OPS in just 11 recorded AB’s against right-handers). Brandon Marsh, meanwhile, has been a strong contributor against with a .324 batting average on the split.
There have been signs in the past few games that the Phillies’ offense might be starting to come alive, after a stretch where they could only score in one inning per game. Now with a new skipper in charge, the Phillies need to show that they have received the message: change needs to happen.
