Yardbarker
x
Phillies Facing Troubling Development After Dodgers Series Loss
William Liang-Imagn Images

Phillies Facing Troubling Development After Dodgers Series Loss

Originally posted on Athlon Sports  |  By Nicholas Covone  |  Last updated Jun 1, 2026 12:42 PM ET
Google Add us as a preferred source on Google

The Philadelphia Phillies are back to their winning ways following a horrid 9-19 start which led to the firing of manager Rob Thomson. The organization named Don Mattingly as his replacement, and he has guided the team to a 21–10 surge that has them a game over .500.

Despite this incredible early season turnaround, several of the problems that appeared during their initial slump continue to linger. All of their issues trace back to the offense.

As a team, the Phillies hold the third-worst OPS in baseball at .673 and worst OBP at .292. The team as a whole is struggling to string together baserunners or produce any kind of clutch hitting.

Following a sweep against the San Diego Padres that saw the Phillies have stellar pitching performances, they traveled to Los Angeles where their luck seemingly ran out. Behind some poor pitching, the offense looked stagnant and only managed seven runs in three games. They have failed to score five runs in a game in the last two weeks.

Outside of superstars Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, who are performing as advertised, and the breakout season from Brandon Marsh, the rest of the lineup looks completely lost. The most glaring issue with the Phillies’ offense is their lack of reliable right‑handed bats and overall lineup depth.

Shortstop Trea Turner, who is supposed to provide the Phillies with excellent contact skills, has failed this season as the team's leadoff man. Turner is hitting .223 through 58 games, he looks nothing like the hitter who won the National League Batting Title last season.

The Phillies also signed outfielder Adolis García during the offseason, hoping a bounce back season from the 33-year-old would bring them the righty power bat they desperately needed. García has arguably been the worst hitter on the team despite his Gold Glove defense in right field. He has only hit four home runs this season and is sporting a .458 OPS over his last 30 games.

These two right-handed bats which are supposed to crush left-handed pitching have done almost nothing for the Phillies. The team is struggling heavily with lefties on the mound, holding a lackluster .210 batting average and .659 OPS against southpaws.

Philadelphia Phillies right fielder Adolis García (53), John Jones-Imagn Images

During the Phillies six-game West Coast road trip, Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, Justin Crawford and J.T. Realmuto managed just 11 hits in 73 at- bats, dragging the heart of the lineup down to a .151 batting average.

Much of the blame for the Phillies lineup struggles can be brought on hitting coach Kevin Long. Long has been with the Phillies organization since 2021 and has seen his team's bats go cold year after year in October. While Long can only do so much to influence the veteran's hitting styles, there is room to wonder if a change at the job would be beneficial, especially following the turnaround after a managerial change.

Mattingly remained confident that his team will improve offensively, stating “we feel like that’s going to break out at some point,” per NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The Phillies lineup will try to get back on track when the Padres come to town for a three-game series starting Tuesday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA.