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Tag: Don Mattingly

  • Brandon Marsh out of the lineup with the Phillies facing a second straight lefty starter vs. Dodgers

    Brandon Marsh out of the lineup with the Phillies facing a second straight lefty starter vs. Dodgers

    Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly has been thinking about giving Brandon Marsh a break against left-handed starters.

    Marsh, who was out of Wednesday’s starting lineup against Dodgers lefty Eric Lauer, had a .262 batting average against left-handed pitchers across the first three months of the season. The strides he made helped him become an everyday player for the first time in his career.

    But lately, amid his first extended slump of the season, there’s been regression. In 20 plate appearances against lefties in July, Marsh has been held to a .105 average.

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    Marsh had a well-hit fly ball against Justin Wrobleski on Tuesday that was caught on the warning track, which was Mattingly’s justification for not pinch-hitting for him in the ninth inning against Dodgers left-handed closer Tanner Scott. Marsh wound up hitting a 47.5 mph ground ball, and two ensuing baserunning miscues led to a game-ending double-play.

    “I’ve been planning, when we see the lefties coming back-to-back like this, we’ve always been trying to give him a day in that,” Mattingly said. “It is something that I’m thinking about and looking at, because obviously the numbers haven’t been great against the lefties. I liked some of his at-bats early, but that seems to have been a battle as we’ve gone on.”

    The addition of right-handed hitting Bryan De La Cruz to the roster has given Mattingly some more flexibility. De La Cruz, an outfielder, started in right field on Wednesday. Edmundo Sosa started in left and Derek Hill started in center.

    Bryan De La Cruz (left) made his first start in left field with the Phillies on Wednesday.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    De La Cruz was activated Tuesday after Garrett Stubbs landed on the injured list with left wrist inflammation. Mattingly said the injury was something Stubbs had been “dealing with” for a while.

    “I just think another right-hand bat in the outfield, it frees Sosa up a little bit for the infield, because we can go all right out there if we want,” Mattingly said. “ … It kind of gives you the second at-bat if we get to the mode where we pinch-hit, and then you get back to the next guy, and they go left-handed on a lefty. That gives you an extra guy. So that’s the thought right now.”

    Mattingly managed De La Cruz previously in Miami.

    “He could play all three, probably better in right or left, but comfortable at all three spots in the outfield,” Mattingly said. “So it gives us another guy out there.”

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    Not skipping the fifth starter

    The Phillies will not skip the fifth spot in their starting rotation during their upcoming series against the Yankees, Mattingly announced. They will instead keep everyone in order.

    The Phillies have lost the last 10 games started by the fifth spot of the rotation, a streak that includes Andrew Painter’s last five appearances before he was optioned in June. With an off day on Thursday, the team could bypass the No. 5 turn entirely by having the rest of the rotation pitch on regular rest.

    But Mattingly said his bigger concern is the starters’ long-term health.

    Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (left) and pitching coach Caleb Cotham (right) will keep the rotation at five starters for now.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    “Giving them that, take advantage of the off days when we can,” Mattingly said. “We’ll have stretches where they’re on every fifth. But try to take advantage. I mean, it’s kind of the backbone of our club, and it’s not one of those things you want to take chances with. Anything can happen, but I think we, as much as we can, we want to try to keep those guys, give them the extra day.”

    Mattingly declined to announce yet who will take the ball when the No. 5 spot comes up on Saturday against the Yankees. Since he was optioned on June 20, Alan Rangel is ineligible to be recalled until Aug. 4, unless an injury occurs on the major league club.

    Extra bases

    Painter made his fourth appearance for triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday. In five innings, he allowed two earned runs on seven hits and one walk. Painter struck out eight. … Following Thursday’s off day, Jesús Luzardo (9-4, 3.43 ERA) will start the series opener Friday against Yankees right-hander Will Warren (7-4, 4.03).

  • Is a bullpen arm now the Phillies’ biggest need at the trade deadline? Depends on how they feel about one man.

    Is a bullpen arm now the Phillies’ biggest need at the trade deadline? Depends on how they feel about one man.

    How much does Dave Dombrowski believe in his best acquisition of the offseason?

    By several metrics, Jonathan Bowlan has been one of the most productive relievers in the majors over the last 2½ months. Since May 3, he ranks among the top 15 in the majors in the following categories:

    • Strikeout rate (33.7%, 11th)
    • Walk rate (4.8%, 15th)
    • Strikeout/walk ratio (7.00, 8th)
    • Ground-ball rate (58.3%, 15th)

    And then there is the most important category. Heading into Sunday, only three pitchers carried a lower ERA than the 0.86 Bowlan had posted in his last 21 outings: Robert Suarez (Braves), Luke Weaver (Mets), and Mason Miller (Padres).

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    That trio has logged a ton of high-leverage innings over the years. The question Dombrowski must ask himself: Can Bowlan do the same?

    The answer should play a big role in the Phillies’ trade deadline strategy. The back of their bullpen has been leaking some serious oil as of late. Since June 1, Orion Kerkering, Brad Keller, and Jose Alvarado have combined to allow 18 of 42 batters to reach base in high-leverage situations in the seventh, eighth, or ninth inning. Of those 18 baserunners, nine have scored.

    At this point, Kerkering shouldn’t be a serious consideration when the Phillies are projecting the top of their postseason depth chart. The 25-year-old righty’s struggles in pressure situations was a recurring theme even before last October’s meltdown in Game 4 at Dodger Stadium. Over the last two regular seasons, Kerkering has 37 strikeouts against 22 walks and hit-by-pitches in high-leverage situations. In the last two weeks, he has entered two late-game situations and then proceeded to walk three batters. There is nothing Kerkering can do between now and the trade deadline that should make the Phillies more comfortable with him high on the pecking order behind Jhoan Duran.

    Orion Kerkering shouldn’t be a serious consideration for the top of the Phillies’ postseason depth chart.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Alvarado is fast approaching that point. The veteran lefty entered Sunday having allowed runs in eight of his last 19 outings, and at least two runs in six of them. Only two relievers in the majors had pitched as many innings as him with a higher ERA. The numbers are a little bit confusing. His 28.5 strikeout rate ranks 29th out of 171 qualified relievers. Although his walk rate is slightly worse than league average, it is markedly better than any that he posted during his prime years of 2021-24 (8.9% this season vs. a minimum of 10.5% previously). His fielding independent metrics are better than they’ve been since 2023.

    Even taking all of that into consideration, Alvarado is a dramatically different pitcher than he was in 2022 and 2023, when he struck out 37% of his batters with a 2.14 FIP (3.38 this season). It’s fine to consider him a wild card vs. writing him out of the picture completely. But he won’t be anything more than a wild card before the trade deadline.

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    Keller? Even without the forearm issue, the Phillies haven’t seen much to make them comfortable heading into a postseason as the primary bridge to Duran. Opposing hitters have posted a whopping .856 OPS against him in high-leverage situations. In an ideal world, the 30-year-old is a sixth- or seventh-inning arm come October.

    Which brings us back to Bowlan. Acquired in an offseason trade that sent Matt Strahm to Kansas City, Bowlan appears to have elbowed his way into his manager’s circle of trust. On Saturday night, Don Mattingly turned to Bowlan with two on and nobody out in the bottom of the eighth inning to protect a 4-1 lead. After hitting his first batter with a pitch to load the bases, Bowlan got Spencer Torkelson to ground into a double play. He escaped the inning with just the one run scored, walking Riley Greene before getting Eduardo Valencia to ground out.

    It wasn’t exactly the cleanest audition. But maybe that counts for something. This was a big-boy spot. Middle of the order, a trio of young power hitters, two men already on base. To hit a batter and walk a batter and only allow one run at least shows a little bit of intestinal fortitude.

    If Mattingly is going to make Bowlan his primary eighth-inning arm for the foreseeable future, then he is doing the right thing. At 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds, the 29-year-old righty sure looks the part. But that is still very much a hypothetical. Bowlan was predominantly a middle-innings guy during his three years in Kansas City. He isn’t a classic strikeout arm, whatever the overall numbers say this year. He has seven of them in 28 high-leverage plate appearances this season, compared with four walks. Again, though, the sample size is small. The Phillies would be wise to get a longer look at him.

    In the meantime, there really isn’t a question about the trade deadline and the bullpen. The Phillies need to do everything they can to address it. A lot of people seem to want to frame it as an either/or, with regard to their clear holes in the outfield and/or from the right side of the plate. That’s not the right way to look at it. After this latest virtuoso performance by the top two pitchers in the Phillies’ rotation, and with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber hitting like MVP candidates, Dombrowski can’t afford to pick and choose which holes he fills this July. Last year, the Blue Jays acquired Louis Varland and Ty France from the Twins in a deadline deal. The Phillies themselves landed Duran and Harrison Bader. They can and should be thinking quantity.

    The real question right now is quality. Do the Phillies need an eighth-inning version of Duran? Or can they get by with a Varland type? A lot depends on how they feel about Bowlan. Because, right now, he looks like the only viable option.

  • Phillies bullpen lets another game slip away in 10-2 loss to Tigers in series opener

    Phillies bullpen lets another game slip away in 10-2 loss to Tigers in series opener

    DETROIT — Even though Aaron Nola was having one of his strongest starts of the season so far, interim manager Don Mattingly tried to play it safe.

    Rather than push Nola a third time through the Tigers order on Friday night, Mattingly lifted Nola after five innings, with his pitch count only at 84. His pitches looked sharp, and he held Detroit to just three hits in what was at the time a 2-2 ballgame.

    “That’s one I’ll probably lose a little sleep over,” Mattingly said.

    Because the move immediately backfired. Tim Mayza became the latest left-handed reliever to struggle for the Phillies, unraveling for five runs in the sixth inning as the Tigers pulled ahead for the 10-2 win.

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    Mattingly said he went to Mayza since left-hander Riley Greene was due up to start the sixth, and liked that matchup better. He also wanted to force the Tigers to pinch-hit lefty Kerry Carpenter, due up third. But Greene worked a 10-pitch walk, confirmed by an automated ball-strike challenge on a 3-2 pitch that missed the zone by less than 0.1 of an inch.

    Mayza also walked Matt Vierling, who pinch-hit for Carpenter.

    “I didn’t really count on the walks,” Mattingly said.

    Nola said postgame he felt like he still had gas in the tank. Did he think he was getting the sixth inning?

    “Kind of, yeah,” he said. “Donnie just said there was a pocket of lefties coming.”

    For five innings, Nola’s changeup and curveball were both effective. Together, they accounted for seven of his eight total strikeouts, the other coming on his fastball. Nola has a 5.75 ERA this season, but put together a solid outing to build on after the All-Star break.

    Delco native Kevin McGonigle (right) celebrates his two-run home run off of Aaron Nola.Paul Sancya

    The Tigers had six lefties in their starting lineup against him, with Delco’s Kevin McGonigle leading off. He hit a 414-foot, two-run homer off Nola’s sinker in the third inning, the eighth of the Bonner-Prendie grad’s rookie season so far. McGonigle is set to make his first career appearance at Citizens Bank Park next week as one of the Tigers’ All-Star representatives.

    “Felt like we were mixing pretty well tonight,” Nola said. “Got behind on several guys, especially McGonigle right there. Good hitting, right there. Hit that ball pretty hard, out of one of the deepest parts of the field. So hat off to him on that one. Obviously, big walk right there that hurt me right before him, but overall I felt pretty good.”

    After Mayza walked two in the sixth inning, a single from Eduardo Valencia — who debuted for the Tigers Thursday — broke the stalemate. Mayza then committed a throwing error while fielding a sacrifice bunt that allowed another run, and things continued to unravel after James Outman sent a bases-clearing triple to deep center field. Outman then scored when Mayza was called for a balk.

    The Phillies’ left-handed relievers have struggled as a unit this season, but the issues have compounded on their current road trip. Tanner Banks and José Alvarado gave up four runs apiece in a blowout loss to the Reds on Wednesday, and Banks was later placed on the injured list with a forearm strain. And that came after Kyle Backhus was optioned earlier in the week following extended struggles of his own.

    Phillies prospect Gage Wood will start in the MLB Futures Game at Citizens Bank Park

    That leaves Mayza and Alvarado as the only lefties in the pen. Mayza had overall been the most consistent. He came into Friday’s game with a 2.81 ERA, which surged to 3.59 by the time his night was over.

    “The lefties is something that concerns you,” Mattingly said. “You feel like as you get moving, that you need lefties to be able to get the good hitting lefties out. … Mayza’s really been pretty good. We do think Alvy’s going to get going. We’re going to get him going, but obviously it hasn’t been the strength for us so far out there.”

    And the trouble didn’t end there for the Phillies bullpen. Max Lazar, who pitched the seventh, gave up a homer on the first pitch he threw to Colt Keith. That was followed by a two-run shot from Spencer Torkelson, which gave the Tigers an eight-run cushion.

    It was a big enough lead to allow the Phillies to put a position player on the mound in the eighth, and Garrett Stubbs made his second pitching appearance of the road trip.

    Derek Hill celebrates his home run with Edmundo Sosa (33) against the Detroit Tigers during the third inning.Paul Sancya

    Outside of Derek Hill, the Phillies offense didn’t fare much better. Hill accounted for their only two hits against Tigers starter Jack Flaherty, as well as their only runs of the game.

    The outfielder found out he was playing about 40 minutes before first pitch, when Justin Crawford was scratched with left knee soreness. He hit a solo shot in the third inning and an RBI single in the fourth that scored Bryce Harper, who drew a walk. Hill hit another single in the seventh for a three-hit game.

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    “I’m always mentally prepared to go out there and execute anything from the coaching staff, and it doesn’t really matter to me, so I just go out there and be prepared as I can,” Hill said.

    Mattingly said that Crawford slipped in the outfield while doing pregame drills. He felt better as the game went on, but the Phillies will be cautious with him and check on him on Saturday.

    Brandon Marsh singled in the eighth to bring the Phillies’ total to four hits on the night.

  • Phillies place Tanner Banks on the injured list and recall Chase Shugart

    Phillies place Tanner Banks on the injured list and recall Chase Shugart

    CINCINNATI — The revolving door in the Phillies bullpen continues to twirl.

    Ahead of Thursday’s series finale against the Reds, Tanner Banks was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left forearm strain, and right-hander Chase Shugart was recalled in his place.

    On Wednesday night, Banks allowed three consecutive homers to the top three batters in Cincinnati’s order — Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, and JJ Bleday — as his struggles this season reached a new low. After posting a 3.07 ERA in 2025 and working his way into higher leverage opportunities, Banks has been unable to find his stride this year. His 7.14 ERA is the highest on the team, although fellow left-hander José Alvarado — who also allowed four runs Wednesday — is not far behind at 7.03.

    The move leaves the Phillies with just two left-handers in their bullpen: Alvarado and Tim Mayza. Kyle Backhus was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier this week after going through struggles of his own.

    Bryce Harper will compete in the Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park

    Interim manager Don Mattingly said he first heard Banks had been dealing with fatigue in his forearm after he was optioned to triple A in June, but was able to pitch through it at that point.

    “Just talking to him on the bus last night, it sounds like he was OK during the game, but he was having trouble getting moving and getting it going every day,” Mattingly said. “So that kind of told us something’s going on, and obviously it’s affecting a little bit with balls coming out, so felt like it was time to find out what’s going on.”

    Mattingly believes the strain might have been affecting Banks’ performance this season. He said Banks has undergone testing, and the Phillies hope to have more information after receiving the results.

    “I think that’s probably what we’re kind of seeing. This is a possibility that this is what’s been causing some of the lack of command and things like that,” he said.

    Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly told ESPN Wednesday that he would be willing to remain at the helm beyond this season, if asked. John McDonnell

    Mattingly willing to become permanent manager

    Mattingly, who took a 42-23 record into Thursday’s series finale against the Reds since taking over as interim Phillies manager from the fired Rob Thomson in April, told ESPN Wednesday that he would be willing to remain at the helm beyond this season, if asked.

    Mattingly, 65, had been prepared to retire after stepping down from the Blue Jays bench coach job following last year’s World Series. But he changed his mind after being offered the Phillies’ bench coach role, which came with the chance to work under his son, Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly.

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    “I like doing it,” Don Mattingly said. “I didn’t come here to do it, but I actually like doing it. And I’d committed two years. In my mind, I told Dave [Dombrowski] two years, right? So at that point you make a commitment with your family and what’s going on with everything, that you’re going to do this for two years. So if that’s something that Dave wanted me to do, I would be fine with it.”

    Extra bases

    Aaron Nola (3-6, 5.87 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s series opener against Detroit Tigers right-hander Jack Flaherty (2-8, 4.60).

  • Bryce Harper takes Phillies’ leadoff spot with Trea Turner taking the day off; Brad Keller rejoins the team

    Bryce Harper takes Phillies’ leadoff spot with Trea Turner taking the day off; Brad Keller rejoins the team

    CINCINNATI — Interim manager Don Mattingly briefly considered putting Brandon Marsh back at leadoff.

    The No. 1 spot in the lineup was vacant on Wednesday against the Reds as Trea Turner was due for a day off. The Phillies shortstop has been “a little banged up in the lower half,” according to Mattingly.

    Marsh previously batted leadoff against the Marlins on June 16, while Turner was down with a bruised wrist. But this time, Bryce Harper — who typically prefers to hit No. 3 — went to hitting coach Kevin Long and volunteered to lead off against righty Chase Burns.

    It marks Harper’s first time in the leadoff spot since Sept. 8, 2025.

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    “I don’t mind it,” Mattingly said. “I mean, he comes up quicker than anybody else.”

    Marsh instead moved to No. 3 in the order, offering protection to Kyle Schwarber at No. 2. The Phillies stacked four straight lefties — Harper, Schwarber, Marsh, and Bryson Stott — at the top of Wednesday’s lineup to combat the right-handed Burns, who entered Wednesday with a 2.40 ERA. The 23-year-old debuted last season and earned his first career All-Star selection this year.

    “Hopefully we can just keep throwing those lefties at him, get some hanging sliders, or try to put some damage on him,” Mattingly said.

    Brad Keller was activated from the injured list on Wednesday.Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Brad Keller reinstated

    Right-handed reliever Brad Keller was activated from the injured list on Wednesday to give the Phillies a reinforcement for their bullpen game against the Reds. As a corresponding move, Seth Johnson was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley.

    The Phillies need a reliable setup arm as a bridge to closer Jhoan Duran, and Keller was signed in the offseason to be just that. But Keller, who Mattingly said had been dealing with nagging forearm tendinitis for a while before hitting the injured list, has a 4.15 ERA this year.

    Orion Kerkering, who has the most eighth-inning appearances for the Phillies this year, walked the bases loaded on Tuesday night against the Reds. Jonathan Bowlan entered the game and stranded all three runners with a strikeout, but it’s not the only time Kerkering has found himself in that situation recently. Kerkering also walked the bases loaded June 28 against the Mets, though he battled back to end the inning without damage.

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    “We like him, his stuff is good, but you got to throw strikes to the point where you trust your stuff, and you got to get in the zone,” Mattingly said of Kerkering. “We still like his stuff and where he’s been, but obviously the walks are something you hate seeing late in the game.”

    He hopes a fully healthy Keller could be a big asset for the Phillies bullpen.

    “The bounce back is different when you’re feeling that kind of stuff, because then the next day, you’re not feeling great, you’re just taking another day to recover, and it’s putting pressure on another guy,” Mattingly said. “So, looking forward to having him healthy, not worried about what his stuff’s going to look like. It’s going to be good.”

    Extra bases

    Lou Trivino III was placed on the injured list Wednesday with a right thoracic muscle spasm. Alan Rangel was recalled to fill his spot on the 26-man roster and started Wednesday’s bullpen game. … The Abbott Elementary episode that Schwarber appeared in during Season 5 — after hitting four homers in a game — received Emmy recognition on Wednesday. Randall Einhorn was nominated for his outstanding direction for a comedy series for the episode. … Fresh off his All-Star selection, Jesús Luzardo (7-4, 3.75 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday’s series finale against Reds right-hander Brady Singer (3-8, 5.03).

  • Don Mattingly not bothered that Zack Wheeler was upset by his decision: ‘The great ones never want to come out’

    Don Mattingly not bothered that Zack Wheeler was upset by his decision: ‘The great ones never want to come out’

    Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said Thursday that he hasn’t spoken to Zack Wheeler about his postgame comments from the night before.

    But he also isn’t bothered that Wheeler was upset. Wheeler was direct about his frustration at being removed from his start against the Pirates on Wednesday after 4⅔ innings with an 8-3 lead, leaving two runners on base for Kyle Backhus. The righty was at 104 pitches on a hot day, matching a season high, but said he felt he had earned the chance to finish the fifth inning.

    “I was upset,” Wheeler said postgame.

    Phillies ace Zack Wheeler ‘upset’ about being pulled early vs. Pirates: ‘I feel like I’ve earned that’

    Since he departed with two outs in the fifth, he was ineligible to get credit for what ultimately was a 10-6 win.

    “I don’t think he wants to talk to me yet. Maybe he’ll settle down, and we’ll talk a bit later,” Mattingly said pregame Thursday. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet. I mean, it really doesn’t bother me at all that he’s upset. I think the great ones never want to come out of the game, and he’s no different.”

    Mattingly compared managing Wheeler to managing the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, who he said similarly never wanted to be taken out. In this situation, his justification for removing Wheeler in that moment was to protect the rotation as a whole.

    Zack Wheeler gave up four runs against the Pirates and was pulled from the game with two outs in the fifth inning on Wednesday.Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    “Our rotation is obviously a great rotation, but the depth of it is not filled with four Paul Skenes down in the minor leagues ready to pop in and fill the spot,” Mattingly said. “So my job is to make sure that this guy stays available through the course of the season, and we’ve got a long way to go. So I really don’t mind guys being upset, that’s what the greats do, but I still have to make decisions for the whole club.”

    Mattingly was concerned that the next batter, Pirates center fielder Jake Mangum, would work a long at-bat, driving up Wheeler’s pitch count even further. Pittsburgh had already fouled off 20 of Wheeler’s pitches on Wednesday.

    Backhus took over and hit Magnum with a pitch. He also hit the next batter to force in a run charged to Wheeler.

    Phillies’ Brad Keller on track to return before the All-Star break: ‘It’s a night-and-day difference’

    Mattingly said the fact that Wheeler was one out away from becoming eligible for his ninth win of the season did not factor into his decision. Wheeler, whose ERA crept up to 2.36 after Wednesday’s start, has been forthright about his ambition to win a Cy Young Award.

    “I think more about the situation that we’re in as a club. I think it probably helps that nowadays wins aren’t really a big thing anymore,” Mattingly said. “It used to be that you’d let that guy try to finish it. And in a different time, you may be letting the guy throw 130 [pitches], but that’s not the time we’re in. That’s not the situation that we’re in right now.”

    Phillies manager Don Mattingly said of Zack Wheeler: “I really don’t mind guys being upset, that’s what the greats do, but I still have to make decisions for the whole club.”
    Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

    Mattingly added that he doesn’t expect this frustration to linger. When things cool off, he wants to discuss the move with Wheeler, but it also won’t change how he manages.

    “I want to know his feelings on it, and all that stuff, but I’m still making the decision based on the club and the team and moving forward, where we want to go,” Mattingly said. “So I don’t mind him hearing my side of it. I don’t mind hearing his side of it, and, again, just have to deal with being mad about it or doesn’t like it. I understand it, but I still have to do what I have to do.”

    Extra bases

    Brad Keller (right forearm tendinitis) is scheduled to start a rehab assignment Friday with triple-A Lehigh Valley in Rochester, N.Y. … Following Friday’s off day, Jesús Luzardo (6-4, 3.88 ERA) is scheduled to start the series opener against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.

  • Phillies ace Zack Wheeler ‘upset’ about being pulled early vs. Pirates: ‘I feel like I’ve earned that’

    Phillies ace Zack Wheeler ‘upset’ about being pulled early vs. Pirates: ‘I feel like I’ve earned that’

    Zack Wheeler was hot, and not just because of the heat.

    Wheeler labored through 4⅔ innings Wednesday night in a 10-6 Phillies victory over the Pirates, and upon being lifted after 104 pitches, he walked off mound as if he didn’t hear the crowd’s obligatory ovation.

    “Yeah,” Wheeler said. “I was upset.”

    About?

    “Getting taken out of the game,” he said.

    Trea Turner’s hot bat sets the tone vs. Pirates ace Paul Skenes in Phillies’ 10-6 win

    It was Wheeler’s shortest start since June 16, 2024 at Baltimore and snapped a streak of 53 starts in which he completed at least five innings.

    Did the Phillies’ co-ace — the highest-paid pitcher in baseball this season with a $42 million salary — want interim manager Don Mattingly to give him a chance to get through the fifth again?

    “Obviously,” Wheeler said. “I feel like I’ve earned that.”

    Wheeler said he hadn’t talked it over yet with Mattingly. Asked if he planned to, he said, “I don’t know.”

    Informed by a team spokesperson of Wheeler’s comments, Mattingly, who has steered the Phillies to a 40-19 record since taking over for fired Rob Thomson, deferred a response until Thursday. It’s the first real test of his leadership.

    By not finishing the fifth inning, Wheeler was ineligible to get credit for the win. At the discretion of the official scorer, the win went to reliever Orion Kerkering, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning.

    To be fair, Wheeler had chances to get out of the fifth inning. After getting two quick outs, he gave up back-to-back singles to Esmerlyn Valdez and Ryan O’Hearn. With Wheeler’s pitch count up to 101 and action in the bullpen, pitching coach Caleb Cotham — not Mattingly — made a mound visit.

    Wheeler stayed in the game, and three pitches later, gave up a bloop RBI single to Nick Gonzales. At that point, having matched his season-high for pitches in a start and pitching in oppressive heat (96 degrees at first pitch), Wheeler was lifted.

    Lefty reliever Kyle Backhus hit back-to-back batters to force in a run that was charged to Wheeler, whose final line was four runs, nine hits, one walk, and 10 strikeouts. His ERA inched up from 2.03 to 2.36.

    Phillies’ Brad Keller on track to return before the All-Star break: ‘It’s a night-and-day difference’

    “I thought Wheels hung in there,” Mattingly said. “It was one of those nights that his pitch count got extended early, and he didn’t get ahead in the count as much as I’m sure he would like. He gave up some soft contact for hits that just extended his pitch count. It was one of those nights.”

    Wheeler, 36, has made a wildly successful return after surgery last September in which a rib was removed to relieve a compressed vein near his collarbone. Earlier Wednesday, before a matchup with Pirates ace Paul Skenes, Mattingly suggested Wheeler might actually be underrated for a two-time Cy Young Award runner-up.

    “I don’t think people quite realize how good this guy is,” Mattingly said. “I just don’t think they realize. Within the industry, for sure. But with fans, he’s a quiet guy. There’s not a lot of hype around him. He just kind of just constantly pitches well. And I just want to keep his attention talked about like other guys.”

    First, there might be a fence to mend.

  • The Phillies have made history turning the NL East into a race again: ‘Just want to keep it going’

    The Phillies have made history turning the NL East into a race again: ‘Just want to keep it going’

    The Phillies returned to Citizens Bank Park for Monday’s series opener against the Pirates a season-high 10 games above .500.

    It’s a far cry from where they were in April, as they tumbled as far as 10 games under .500 on April 26. But their improbable rebound has made them the first team in baseball history to bounce back from 10 games under .500 to 10 games over .500 before the end of June.

    Now, they’ve all but erased their dismal start. At the 84-game mark last year, the Phillies had a 49-35 record, and would go on to finish with 96 wins and win the division. This year, they are 47-37 at the same point.

    “This is a 96-win club last year, this is not a club that didn’t show up every day and play every day,” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “You win 96 games, you’re playing good baseball, so nothing that you really didn’t expect to happen is happening. Just want to keep it going.”

    Not only that, but the Phillies have closed within three games of the Braves for the lead in the National League East. It’s a gap that was as wide as 10½ games in May.

    NL East standings

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    It’s helped out that the Braves’ early-season dominance has somewhat faltered, with Atlanta posting a 9-13 record so far in June. But the Phillies have managed to capitalize, and a chasm that seemed insurmountable a month ago is shaping into a race again, with two series remaining between the teams in September.

    “I wasn’t really looking at Atlanta,” Mattingly said. “I was looking more at us getting back to .500 at first, then to five [games over .500], and then trying to get to 10, and now trying to get to 15, and wherever you end up landing is where you land, but obviously you want to win the division. But still day to day, and so much baseball to be played.”

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    García in town

    Right fielder Adolis García was at the ballpark on Monday to get checked out after undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn lat on Wednesday.

    García, who signed a one-year, $10 million deal in the offseason, spent time catching up with his teammates behind the batting cage pregame. His rehab is expected to take place primarily at the Phillies’ facilities in Clearwater, Fla.

    “He’s just coming in to see where he’s at. He’s had surgery a few days ago, he’s not going to be able to do a whole lot, but it’d be good to see him,” Mattingly said.

    Starting pitcher Andrew Painter will likely make his next start for Lehigh Valley on Saturday.Jose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

    Painter’s next start

    The Phillies haven’t officially announced when Andrew Painter will make his next start for triple-A Lehigh Valley, but Mattingly said he expects the righty will remain on a regular schedule.

    With the minor leagues having a day off built into their schedule each Monday, that means joining a six-day rotation, which would line up Painter to next appear on Saturday in Rochester.

    “Unless they want to move him, or there’s a reason for us to move him to keep him on a certain day to match up with certain guys,” Mattingly said. “So, in general, I think he’s just one of the boys down there and working on his craft and getting it together.”

    Mattingly said pitching coach Caleb Cotham’s report was that Painter was OK in his first appearance after getting optioned, in which he allowed one run over four innings.

    “Still felt like some of the things that they talked about implementing, he’s starting to be able to do that,” Mattingly said. “We just let it play out now.”

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    Pham back in action

    Tommy Pham made his first appearance for the Florida Complex League Phillies on Monday after signing a minor league deal with the organization. Pham, who the Phillies picked up as outfield depth after he was released by the Orioles, went 2-for-2 in the Complex League game.

    The 38-year-old outfielder has a .256 career average and .764 OPS across 13 seasons and 10 teams. He went hitless in 13 at-bats across nine games with the Mets this April before being released and catching on with the Orioles’ triple-A affiliate.

    “I know Tommy from the past; I always liked Tommy, he gives you good at-bats,” Mattingly said. “I don’t know what the plan is other than to see where it goes and how he’s swinging and how he’s performing, and what we need.”

    Extra bases

    Gabriel Rincones Jr. was back in the lineup Monday against right-hander Braxton Ashcraft after sitting in the series finale against the Mets. Rincones has a .118 batting average in 32 major league at-bats. “[Sunday] was more of a day off, and kind of a little bit of a reset for Rico, see where it goes,” Mattingly said. … Cristopher Sánchez (9-3, 2.13 ERA) is scheduled to start opposite Pirates right-hander Bubba Chandler (3-7, 4.42) on Tuesday.

  • Don Mattingly on the Mets’ firing of Carlos Mendoza’: ‘I don’t worry about what’s going on with them’

    Don Mattingly on the Mets’ firing of Carlos Mendoza’: ‘I don’t worry about what’s going on with them’

    NEW YORK — Don Mattingly has lived through his share of managerial firings by the baseball teams in this city.

    “Oh really?” he said, smiling.

    Indeed, in 14 seasons with the George Steinbrenner-era Yankees, Mattingly played for eight managers, including Billy Martin three times and Lou Piniella twice. The Boss fired a manager midway through a season five times in Mattingly’s career.

    And even if that wasn’t the case, Mattingly is managing the Phillies right now only because president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski fired Rob Thomson on April 28 after a 9-19 start.

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    Surely, then, Mattingly must have thoughts on the Mets’ decision Friday to can manager Carlos Mendoza amid a six-game losing streak and with the third-worst record (34-47) in the National League.

    Oh, and just in time for a visit from the Phillies.

    “We don’t know what’s been going on over there, and we’ve got enough stuff to deal with ourselves,” Mattingly said. “So, I kind of just get back to the coldhearted [viewpoint]. If I’m hitting, I need to get a good pitch to hit and I need to hit it hard. If I’m playing [defense], I need to make baseball plays for the situation of the game.

    “I don’t worry about what’s going on with them.”

    Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said he does not get caught up in other organizations’ personnel decisions. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    For the Phillies, the managerial change served as a pivot point in the season. But as Mattingly notes, it had less to do with a difference between him and Thomson than with better starting pitching. The offense has started to come around, too.

    The Phillies were 36-15 under Mattingly — and 45-36 overall, a 90-win pace at the mathematical midpoint of the season entering Friday night.

    It may be too late for the Mets to save their season. But maybe they’ll get a boost under interim manager Andy Green, who was promoted after spending the past 2½ seasons as farm director.

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    Like Mattingly, Green didn’t expect to be in this position. Green has managed previously in the majors, steering the Padres to a 274-366 record from 2016-19.

    “I just think it [feels like] you are where you’re supposed to be, right?” Mattingly said. “It just falls into your lap more than anything else, and then you just take it and just do the best job you can.”

    Alan Rangel will take the hill Saturday for the Phils. Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Rangel ready

    Two and a half hours before Friday night’s game began, Alan Rangel stepped out from the Phillies’ dugout and took a photo of Citi Field.

    He will pitch here Saturday.

    Mattingly said the Phillies were still deciding if Rangel will start the game or enter after an opener. Either way, it will be his latest audition for what amounts to the Phillies’ fifth-starter spot.

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    It will mark Rangel’s second turn since replacing demoted righty Andrew Painter. The 28-year-old righty, released as a minor leaguer with the Angels in 2024, came in after opener Tim Mayza on Monday night in Washington and allowed one run in five walk-free innings.

    “He’s got an interesting mix, honestly,” Mattingly said. “[Commanding the ball] up-down is a mix that you’ve seen work in the game with different guys. You don’t have to be throwing 100 to have success, and he’s got a mix that can work. He has stuff to get people out.”

    Painter, meanwhile, is scheduled to start Sunday for triple-A Lehigh Valley. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Painter throw primarily fastballs. It’s essential for him to regain confidence in his heater after opponents batted .404 and slugged .660 against it in the majors.

    Phillies shortstop Trea Turner has begun to heat up slightly. Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

    Extra bases

    Mattingly on struggling Trea Turner, who went 6-for-20 in four games in Washington to raise his average to .231 and OPS to .618: “I think Trea’s fine. I mean, when do we decide that he’s there? When he’s getting two hits a night for 10 straight days? He’s getting his hits.” … Rangel will be opposed at 4:10 p.m. Saturday by Mets righty Christian Scott (2-0, 3.10 ERA). Scott, the Mets’ fifth-round pick in 2021, and Painter were teammates at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

  • You gotta believe: Three miracle wins in D.C., led again by Bryce Harper, recall the 2022 never-say-die Phillies

    You gotta believe: Three miracle wins in D.C., led again by Bryce Harper, recall the 2022 never-say-die Phillies

    Maybe someday we will learn.

    We will learn to believe in these Phillies. These Bryce Harper Phillies. These Kyle Schwarber Phillies. These Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez Phillies.

    We will learn that, while they might occasionally lose, they are never defeated.

    We will learn that, until the last strike of the last out is recorded, they have not yet lost.

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    We came to learn this about the core of these Phillies in the dead of summer in 2022, and perhaps we should relearn it as summer begins in 2026. Then, they sparked a drive to the World Series with a handful of exhilarating victories. Now, after a wild midweek series in Washington, they might be doing the same.

    We will come to accept that, as long as Harp and Schwarbs and Wheels and Sanchey are active and competing and leading the charge, the rest will follow until the very end.

    That quartet might not be the best players in baseball, but they are always the best players they can be, and that’s often all that matters, because it inspires their peers to be the same. That’s how the Phillies manage comeback miracles like they produced in D.C. this past week.

    Bryce Harper flashed a finger — which he clarified was his ring finger — toward the upper deck in right field as he rounded the bases of his go-ahead two-run homer on Thursday in Washington. Nick Wass

    It happened Tuesday. It happened Wednesday. Both nights, the Phillies were down to their last strike; in fact, on Wednesday, they were down to their last strike twice.

    Then, incredibly, it happened Thursday night, too, a 10-5 thriller that launched them to Queens for three against the last-place Mets, who, despite the presence of duplicitous error machine Bo Bichette, have lost six in a row, costing manager Carlos Mendoza his job on Friday.

    They won three of four in D.C. Wheeler was scheduled to start Friday in New York.

    “We’re coming. Watch out,” Harper told 94 WIP radio. “Obviously, we have a great ball club.”

    Great? Maybe.

    The momentum is palpable.

    Why?

    Because the Phillies hit go-ahead home runs in each of the ninth innings of those games, the first time that’s happened in Major League Baseball history.

    Harper, scorching, was in the middle of it all Thursday.

    Down 5-0 in the fifth, Harper beat out an infield single and scored the first run on Brandon Marsh’s third home run of the four-game series. Harper drove in the third run in the seventh with a 3-2 bases-loaded walk that began a three-run, game-tying frame. Then Harper drove in the go-ahead runs with a 390-foot blast to left-center, the surest sign that Harper’s hot: When he’s going “oppo,” he’s unstoppable.

    Harper is 13-for-31 with three homers and seven RBIs in his last eight games. The Phils entered the weekend having won five of six and sit four games behind the idle Braves, the closest they’ve been to the top of the NL East since tax day, when Rob Thomson was still their manager.

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    They were 9-19 when Thomson was fired 12 days later, and they’re 36-17 since bench coach Don Mattingly took over as interim manager. Maybe it’s been addition by subtraction. More likely, it’s coincidence, since this core group of Phillies has been winning in heart-stopping fashion since it came together in 2022, when the Phils fired Joe Girardi and Thomson took over as interim manager.

    The DNA of this club seems independent of its boss.

    “Each team is different,” Harper told reporters afterward. “It’s how we are. It’s who we are.”

    There were other big moments from big names Thursday, and all week, really. Schwarber, who didn’t start Tuesday or Wednesday, worked a 10-pitch, two-out, pinch-hit walk in the ninth on Wednesday that framed a bigger moment for a lesser player. Trea Turner put his season from hell on hold for the ninth inning Tuesday, when his two-out single began an eight-run inning in which his second two-out single drove in the eighth run.

    How could something like this possibly happen again Thursday?

    “You’ve got to keep fighting back,” Harper said.

    Sánchez stumbled to a 5-0 deficit after 2⅔ innings but stabilized and faced just one batter over the minimum in recording the final seven outs. That preserved the bullpen, as four relievers pitched a scoreless inning apiece. José Alvarado finally looked untouchable in the seventh, and Orion Kerkering, who’d blown a save two days earlier, earned the win when, in the eighth, he stranded a leadoff double at second base and preserved the tie.

    It is contagious.

    How contagious?

    Derek Hill, who was Wednesday’s hero with a pinch-hit, go-ahead, ninth-inning homer, padded the lead Thursday with a two-run shot for a five-run lead. He’s a journeyman outfielder who has been a Phillie for just two weeks, the roster replacement for the Phils’ latest free-agent outfield bust, Adolis García, who had latissimus dorsi repair surgery and is done for the season.

    How contagious?

    Edmundo Sosa had the first homer, double, and five-RBI night of his eight-year career in Tuesday’s 14-9 win, when they erased a two-run deficit in the ninth. Sosa has a knack for the dramatic. He ended May with a two-run homer in the eighth inning to complete a late comeback in Los Angeles.

    How contagious?

    Bryson Stott’s three-run homer on Tuesday was his first go-ahead homer in the ninth inning in four years.

    “We just have that never-quit mentality,” said Brandon Marsh, the team’s most consistent hitter this season.

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    Marsh padded his unlikely All-Star resume with a two-run shot in the ninth inning Tuesday that re-tied the game, 8-8, and set up Stott’s moment. Marsh was 9-for-14 and scored five runs in the three comeback wins.

    Marsh knows of what he speaks because he’s lived this life before. It’s all he’s ever known, really.

    Marsh landed in Philly as a deadline trade piece in 2022 from the Angels having played just 163 games in the majors. He landed in the middle of the Phillies’ crucial surge.

    It began July 25, when Stott’s three-run home run in the eighth inning gave the Phillies a 6-4 lead over the visiting Braves. That was the first of 13 wins in 15 games, which allowed them to play .500 ball the rest of the season and still reach the playoffs for the first time in a decade.

    Bryson Stott (right) hit the go-ahead three-run homer on Tuesday in the Phillies’ 14-9 comeback win over the Nationals.Jess Rapfogel

    It was the first of five games in that span that crackled with late-game electricity.

    On July 29, in the top of the 10th inning, Rhys Hoskins ripped an 0-2 fastball 410 feet over the centerfield wall in Pittsburgh for a 4-2 win. The next night, again in the 10th, Hoskins put a ball in play that the Pirates threw away, and that was the difference.

    On Aug. 3, the day after Marsh became a Phillie, he was in Atlanta and saw J.T. Realmuto drive in Hoskins with a fielder’s-choice grounder to tie it at 1 in the eighth, then saw the next batter, Nick Castellanos, blast a two-run game-winner.

    A week later the Phils managed six hits and three runs in the bottom of the eighth to win, 4-3, over the visiting Marlins.

    Does this recent competence mean that the Phillies will reach the World Series this season? Not necessarily.

    What it means is, with this Core Four, the faithful should never forsake the season … and they should watch every game until the very last out.