The Philadelphia Phillies have the second-worst record in the National League. Their slump has been overshadowed nationally by the rival New York Mets losing 12 games in a row. But the Phillies aren’t faring much better at the moment.
They’ve lost seven straight and are staring down the barrel of a lost season. After four consecutive playoff trips, the Phillies are a ghastly 8-15 nearly a month into the 2026 season. They’re third-to-last in MLB both in runs scored (80) and ERA (4.99).
But there’s still plenty of time. That’s the way a seasoned Dave Dombrowski is looking at it, anyway.
“I’m not worried about the hole,” Dombrowski, the club’s president of baseball operations, said Tuesday in Chicago, before the Phillies’ latest defeat, a 7-4 loss to the Cubs, according to MLB.com.
Philadelphia is now 7.5 games back of the first-place Atlanta Braves in the division, however; the 69-year-old Dombrowksi has seen quite a bit in the majors. He referenced the 1983 season Tuesday. At the time, he was part of the Chicago White Sox front office. The team started 16-24 before rallying to win 99 games and the AL West.
“I’ve been with clubs in much worse holes than this that have won divisions. The hole doesn’t bother me. It’s that we need to play better, and that’s where it goes. Nothing miraculous happens, you just have to go out and play better.”
Dombrowski dismissed speculation that Rob Thomson’s job is in danger on Tuesday, instead defending the manager that’s helped return the Phillies to prominence. Thomson took over for a fired Joe Girardi in the 2022, led a seismic turnaround that season, which saw his squad catch fire in October and make the club’s first World Series appearance since 2009.
Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson took over for a fired Joe Girardi during the 2022 season. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Over the next three seasons, Philadelphia stacked a trio of 90-plus-win campaigns, securing back-to-back NL East titles in 2024-25. That said, a series of premature playoff exits raised questions about Thomson’s future in Philly, especially considering the pressure Dombrowski’s facing to win a ring with a star-studded but aging roster.
Back in December, the Phillies extended Thomson through the 2027 season.
“Rob Thompson’s been a good manager for us for since [2022],” Dombrowski said, per MLB.com. “We always look at everything that’s taken place, but no that’s not being pondered at this point.
“Generally, I’ve said about 40 games of the season is when you start to say, ‘OK, where are we shaping up? Guys have had enough time.’ But there’s no magic in that number. Sometimes it’s a little bit more, sometimes it’s a little bit less. They’re not happy with their performances. Shoot, I’m responsible for putting the club on the field, so I’m not happy with the way it’s going. But I think you just balance that all the time on a daily basis.”
Dombrowski talked about how he’s been perplexed by how much the offense is struggling. Beyond the seven-game skid, the Phillies are 2-11 in their last 13 games. During that span, they’ve been shut out three times.
Philadelphia’s slow start at the plate can be partly traced back to the middle of the lineup, where Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Adolis García have struggled mightily. But the Phillies are really floundering in every department. They’ve faltered on defense, their starting pitching isn’t going as deep as it was last season and the team’s batting, in general, has left a lot to be desired from a group that’s lined with hard-hitting expertise.
“We just haven’t played very well, really in every portion of our game,” Dombrowski said Tuesday, per NBC Philadelphia. “There have been some individual players that have done well, but as a group, I don’t think any part of our team has excelled.”
He added, via NBC: “I’m responsible for putting the club on the field so I’m not happy with the way it’s going.”
Dombrowski is confident the Phillies will snap out of their funk, and that Thomson is the skipper who can right the ship.
