BALTIMORE — Hours before the final game of this two-country, three-city road trip, Rob Thomson leaned back in his chair. The weather outside was perfect. It was Father’s Day. Two teams had more than 20 games over .500 with their aces, Zack Wheeler and Corbin Burnes, on the mound.
“If you’re a baseball fan, this should be a good day,” Thomson said Sunday morning. “Everything is planned. Two good teams. House full to bursting. Loud fans. Excellent pitching matchup.
And by the sixth inning of the Phillies’ 8-3 loss to the Orioles on Sunday, Thomson was a spectator. He addressed an umpire with a sort of tirade that no one has seen from the mild-mannered Canadian since he became manager of the Phillies two years ago. The specific incident – a contested pitch that hit Garrett Stubbs’ foot while he was outside the batter’s box – only highlighted the anger that had been boiling inside Thomson all along. ‘afternoon. His team didn’t play well. Mike Estabrook’s strike zone was inconsistent.
“I was angry,” Thomson said.
Estabrook kicked Thomson out after muttering a few choice words. Thomson took off his hat and came face to face with Estabrook. The referee made no attempt to deescalate the situation and team manager Laz Diaz only intervened after the two men had a lengthy shouting match.
So Thomson watched the final three rounds from the small office at Camden Yards. He had already seen his ace give up four home runs for the first time in his career. He saw his offense not generate enough hits in a timely manner. It was emblematic of this whole road trip.
Rob Thomson got his money’s worth after being sent off from today’s match 😳😡
(via @NBCSPhilly)
pic.twitter.com/T8uIEfv7Kb– FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 16, 2024
The Phillies are 10-10 in their last 20 games after going 35-10 in the previous 45 games. They won two games against the NL East-ranked Braves during that 10-10 stretch.
“It stinks, but it’s okay,” Wheeler said. “We have a long season ahead of us and we are a very good team. Then everything will be fine.
The Phillies will return home Monday with Trea Turner at shortstop. Turner will be activated from the injured list after missing 38 games with a hamstring strain. The Phillies went 25-13 during that span.
They could use Turner after the recent lull.
“Any time is a good time for Trea Turner, but this just makes our roster stronger,” Bryson Stott said. “It’s Trea Turner, so…”
Thus, the Phillies will find their No. 2 hitter. Nick Castellanos made an appearance there last week and went 3-for-27 with nine strikeouts. He was hitless in the Orioles series.
Thomson is a man of few words; he doesn’t believe in team meetings or over-the-top pep talks because he believes less is more. So when he speaks, his players know it’s important. It was Thomson’s fourth ejection as Phillies manager and his first since Aug. 13, 2023. His fury was directed at the umpires, but his players saw a team rarely shown.
“It was frustrating for everyone, in that regard,” Wheeler said. “Me included. Just try to bite our tongues and keep pressing and not let this kind of thing affect us. But I feel like he kind of took all of our anger out on us with that. Defended us. It was great to see Rob stick up for us, especially when things don’t go our way.
The Phillies expect their pitching to regress, even a little, and that will put more pressure on the offense. Reinserting Turner will help. In making room for him, the Phillies could choose to prioritize more offense.
They talked, multiple team sources said Athleticism, a demotion for Johan Rojas. If the Phillies went this route, they would commit to two outfield platoons: Brandon Marsh and Cristian Pache in center field with David Dahl and Whit Merrifield in left field. It’s an inelegant solution, but it’s the path of least resistance. Rojas can be sent to minors; Pache and Dahl can’t – at least without getting waivers.
When the Phillies named Rojas their starting center fielder after an unproductive spring training, they reserved the right to change their minds. It is possible that they have reached this point. Rojas’ defensive play in center hasn’t been elite, as the Phillies expected. On the bases, he was chosen as team leader three times.
Rojas made a critical error in the Orioles’ series opener when, as a pinch runner, he didn’t have a good secondary lead. He was ejected from the plate in extra innings, unable to score from second base on a single to right.
Thomson corrected the mistake with Rojas immediately after that match.
Johan Rojas is hit at home plate by Orioles catcher James McCann in the 10th inning of Friday’s game. (Terrance Williams/Associated Press)
Rojas is there for his glove, but there has been disappointment within the organization because Rojas has not better utilized one of his best skills: speed. The club wanted Rojas to incorporate more bunting into his game. He did not attempt a bunt in June. His only hit came on April 13.
Many on the Phillies still view Rojas in center field as the club’s best lineup and, with a downgrade, they wouldn’t eliminate that from the mix later this season.
But Rojas needs to be better, and that’s the message the Phillies would send by demoting him to Triple-A.
Marsh is a downgrade in center field; the Phillies would sacrifice defense for offense in this double platoon scenario. Dahl and Merrifield are average defenders – at best. Pache, on days he doesn’t start, can serve as a late-inning defensive replacement.
Pache doubled Sunday as a pinch hitter against a left-handed reliever. His four extra base hits this season have been against lefties. He is 5 for 23 with 10 strikeouts against righties; the Phillies don’t view him as an everyday option due to his shortcomings at the plate. But with Rojas demoted, Pache could gain playing time.
The Phillies intend to improve their bench at the trade deadline. In the meantime, they’ll see what Dahl does. He hit .231/.231/.538 in 26 plate appearances.
Edmundo Sosa hit .282/.342/.500 in the 38 games without Turner. “Oh, he was huge,” Thomson said. “In recent years, the baseball world probably viewed him as a utility man. Now they view him as a shortstop. But Sosa had faded over the past two weeks, hitting just .200/.231/.320. He will return to his reserve role.
Everyone, for now, was just excited to see their own bed again.
“A lot of traveling,” Thomson said. “Good teams. Now we go home in front of our fans and get back to playing baseball.
(Top photo of Phillies manager Rob Thomson arguing with umpire Mike Estabrook: Gregory Fisher / USA Today)