Mar 26, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson walks back to the dugout after a pitching change during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Bill Streicher
PHILADELPHIA — Rob Thomson's Joe Torre-esque approach of not getting too high or too low publicly has, for the most part, worked well since he took over as manager of the Phillies in June of 2022.
But there are times in a major media market that you need to demonstrate to fans that you get their frustration, and Thomson appeared to make an attempt to do that following a disastrous 2-7 homestand.
"Everybody’s frustrated. I’m telling you — nobody is complacent, everybody’s working their tails off. Nobody’s happy,” Thomson said in a matter-of-fact manner as part of a larger answer about the struggles of Alec Bohm.
Rob Thomson: “Everybody’s frustrated. I’m telling you — nobody is complacent, everybody’s working their tails off. Nobody’s happy.”
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/3uYGd1eRxe
It's the second time during the nine-game homestand — which culminated in the Phillies getting swept by the Atlanta Braves — that Thomson seemed to try to push back against the perception that some have that he doesn't have enough fire. He took exception to the notion that he doesn't hold players accountable last week.
In his postgame press conference following Sunday's 4-2 loss, Thomson was a bit more blunt in his analysis than usual.
When asked about Andrew Painter's outing — where he allowed five hits and three runs over four-plus innings — Thomson gave the following analysis.
"I think he was OK," Thomson said after taking a pause. "He was up in the zone a lot with his fastball. I'd like to see him get ahead in the count a little more. Jeez, he battled out of two jams in the second and the fourth, so that was good to see. [It was] probably difficult to pitch a little bit tonight. Yeah, I thought he was OK."
Thomson pulled Painter after he gave up back-to-back singles in the top of the fifth inning, giving way to Tim Mayza. The Braves wound up scoring three of their four runs in that frame, and while Mayza was only charged with one of them, Thomson was frustrated that he walked the first batter he saw, Drake Baldwin, to load the bases with no outs.
"...Mayza ... other than the leadoff walk was really the ... he should have gone right after Baldwin," Thomson said. "So that hurt him a little bit."
And when asked about what he's seeing from his lineup, Thomson didn't mince words.
"A lot of frustration," Thomson acknowledged. "We're disappointed, we're frustrated. I know they're trying hard — sometimes trying too hard. But yeah, I think guys are upset, we're off to a slow start here, but it's gonna get better."
Rob Thomson on how he stays even-keel positive during these stretches: “That’s my job.”
(Via @TimKellySports) pic.twitter.com/6dp2Nde8Ez
Even in all these answers where Thomson is perhaps a little more critical than he typically is publicly, there seems to be a positive spin. How does Thomson manage to stay even-keeled and positive during these stretches?
"That's my job," Thomson replied. "There are times where you have to straighten some people out, and in a way we've done that. But for the most part, you gotta stay positive. You gotta believe in the club, because there's talent here. It's not that we don't have talent. We've got talent. It just hasn't happened yet, but it's gonna happen."
At 8-13, the Phillies need it to start happening soon. After Sunday's game, Thomson seemed aware of that. We'll see if their fortunes begin to change Monday night at Wrigley Field.
