Flailing Phillies Fire Thomson: Philadelphia’s MLB Futures in Flux Amid Atrocious April

After nearly four largely successful years, the Rob Thomson era ended today in Philadelphia. With the Phillies mired in a miserable run, Thomson became the second MLB manager in four days to be fired, following Boston's firing of Alex Cora on Saturday.

Thomson's firing came with Philadelphia at 9-19 following a road series loss against the rival Atlanta Braves. The Phillies started 6-4 this season, but since April 6, they have just three wins in 18 games. Prior to Saturday's 8-5 win in Atlanta, the team had lost nine straight.

Thomson went from the hot seat to the exit door ahead of a home series against the San Francisco Giants, a bitter end to one of the Phillies' most successful eras. After taking over from the fired Joe Girardi in June 2022, Thomson oversaw the end of an 11-year playoff drought. He then led the Phillies to their first World Series appearance since 2009, four consecutive playoff appearances, and back-to-back NL East titles in 2024 and 2025.

As notable as Thomson's firing is, so is his replacement. Taking the reins as interim manager is bench coach Don Mattingly. Mattingly joined the club in January after three seasons in that same role with the Toronto Blue Jays.

That Mattingly's son Preston is the GM of the Phillies may understandably raise some eyebrows. However, he brings credentials most interim managers do not have.

The elder Mattingly, who managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2011 to 2015 and the Miami Marlins from 2016 to 2022, comes with a wealth of experience. Tonight's opener against San Francisco will be his 1840^th game as a manager. That puts him third among active managers behind only Reds manager Terry Francona (3812) and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch (1861).

Top Active MLB Managers (Games Managed)

• Terry Francona (Cincinnati Reds) – 3812
• A.J. Hinch (Detroit Tigers) – 1861
• Don Mattingly (Philadelphia Phillies) – 1839
• Kevin Cash (Tampa Bay Rays) – 1708
• Craig Counsell (Chicago Cubs) – 1685

Can Mattingly help right the ship in Philadelphia? Sunday's loss dropped the Phillies 10.5 games behind the NL East-leading Braves, who have MLB's best record. Also, they are 6.5 games out of the final NL wild-card spot, currently occupied by the Arizona Diamondbacks and Pittsburgh Pirates.

That is a big hole to be in early, but there is also a lot of baseball left. That is reflected in where Philadelphia currently stands with Lucky Rebel and other top online sportsbooks.

While their NL East, NL pennant, and World Series odds have all lengthened as a result of this slide, only the Dodgers (-110), Braves (+550), Cubs (+950), Milwaukee Brewers (+1400), and San Diego Padres (+1400) have better pennant winner odds than the Phillies (+1600).

Also, while Philadelphia is now +600 to win the NL East (well behind Atlanta at -340), the team is +175 to reach the playoffs. That puts them not far adrift of the Diamondbacks (+160) and Pirates (+145). Notably, in the latest THE BAT X MLB playoff projections, the Phillies, at 45.1% to make the playoffs, have the sixth-best odds among NL teams.

While oddsmakers have not given up on the Phillies, wins do need to come soon to maintain and strengthen that faith, and the upcoming schedule presents an opportunity for Philadelphia to find some footing under Mattingly. Fifteen of the Phillies' next 25 games are at home, and they will not face one of the top World Series contenders again until they close out May with back-to-back road series against the Padres (May 25-27) and Dodgers (May 29-31).