\u201cWell, I mean, that\u2019s natural, right?\u201d Thomson said when asked about his job security. \u201cIt\u2019s normal. And I\u2019ve never worried about that in my entire career. I worked for a guy for 28 years that, as the \u2018Seinfeld\u2019 episode will tell you, fires people like it\u2019s a bodily function. And it never bothered me. It didn\u2019t. I don\u2019t have time to think about it. I\u2019m a person who thinks about other people. What can I do to help them? And it\u2019s out of my control. That\u2019s where I\u2019m at.\u201d<\/p>\n
George Steinbrenner does not run the Phillies, but Dombrowski (and, by extension, principal owner John Middleton) must decide whether the same people and players should be tasked with fixing this team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we have the right people here,\u201d Kyle Schwarber said, \u201cand we got the right people to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The issues stem well beyond the right-handed hitters, but that is the glaring pressure point right now. The Phillies sought an upgrade during the offseason and were on the verge of signing Bo Bichette and jettisoning Alec Bohm<\/a>. That indicated everything about how the front office felt, but absent the solution of throwing more money at a free agent, Dombrowski\u2019s group did not unearth any creative alternatives.<\/p>\n So a familiar roster with a familiar coaching staff slogging through a nightmarish first month only intensifies the scrutiny. Is it time to think about bigger changes than rearranging the batting order?<\/p>\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll talk about it on the plane,\u201d Thomson said. \u201cMaybe it is the lineup. I don\u2019t know. We just have to discuss this and try to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomson has bemoaned the lineup\u2019s pull-happy approach at various times in the past few weeks. He did again Sunday. Could the hitters benefit from a different voice? Thomson said he remains confident in hitting coach Kevin Long and his assistants\u2019 work.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d Thomson said.<\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n \u201cBecause they\u2019re good coaches,\u201d Thomson said. \u201cI mean, Kevin\u2019s one of the best in the game. There\u2019s a couple of Hall of Famers out there that will tell you that. So, yeah, I\u2019m all on board with him.\u201d<\/p>\n The club\u2019s three most important hitters \u2014 Bryce Harper, Schwarber and Trea Turner \u2014 all share strong relationships with Long that predate their time with the Phillies. That matters. The Phillies\u2019 belief in him was so unflinching that they signed him to a three-year contract this offseason as Long, a free agent, entertained robust interest from rival clubs.<\/p>\n Schwarber pushed back, saying it\u2019s on the players to make this right.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a player, you feel responsible for that,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re the ones who are out there going out there. We\u2019re taking at-bats. We\u2019re playing defense. We\u2019re pitching. We\u2019re doing it all. All of our coaches are here to support and put us in the best positions that they can. Even though we haven\u2019t been playing to what we feel like we should be playing at, that hasn\u2019t changed their attitudes towards us. They try to come in on a daily basis to continue to get us better and to continue to put us into great positions to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomson looked at the situation Sunday and saw potholes everywhere. Sale entered the day with a career .537 OPS against lefty hitters. That is the lowest mark by a starting pitcher in recorded major-league history.<\/p>\n So the manager wanted to protect Brandon Marsh and rookie Justin Crawford by not exposing them to Sale. Crawford entered Sunday just 4 for his last 36. He was 1-for-16 with four strikeouts against lefty pitchers. Marsh, who has been swinging well, remains far better against righties.<\/p>\n Moore had not started a game in center field since 2023. But he bats right-handed. He went 0-for-2 with a walk. He\u2019s yet to collect a hit this season in 11 at-bats.<\/p>\n
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