That’s it! I am done. The Texas Rangers are leaving town after defeating the Phillies 2-1 in extra innings, and they shouldn’t be the only ones leaving town. Because after the Phillies were swept in a 2 game series to the lowly Texas Rangers, the Phillies manager should also be headed out of town.
Joe Girardi was brought here with a big resume! Bursting onto the managerial scene with the cash strapped Marlins, he managed to win 78 games. He parlayed that into a decade with the Yankees where he won a World Series in 2009. But when he was let go after the 2017 season he hit the booth, not the dugout. With many thinking it was his choice. The picture that was painted was Joe Girardi was ready to get BACK into a uniform, not that no one wanted him.
When Joe Girardi was hired by the Phillies before the 2020 season I asked a baseball scribe before the introductory press conference “can you ask him why he choose Philly?” The answer I got has sat with me for the 2+ seasons. “He gave me a cookie cutter answer but I get the impression this was his only offer.” I now see why.
In a game that seemed to feature their 1,253,284 different lineup of the season, Girardi pulled Zack Wheeler with just 78 pitches in the game. Giddy to get to a bullpen when the team’s ace was cruising. With the DH in the National League, the move made little to no sense. But this has been a trend dating back to Girardi’s first season. He has no feel for the game. No matter if its keeping a pitcher in too long, or rushing a starter off the mound to get to a subpar bullpen, he has ZERO feel. And unfortunately for him and us, he has no more excuses either.
The Phillies went all in. They weren’t over the luxury tax for the first time in franchise history as they loaded up on an offense that was supposed to outscore teams and be a nightmare for opposing pitchers. That has yet to happen. Now it is early, but its also troubling. The Phillies slow start, coinciding with the Mets hot start, is leading down a path of fighting for nothing but a Wild Card spot. Is it all on Girardi? No. But the real question is what has he done to deserve to stay? The answer to that is nothing.
When the Phillies let go of Gabe Kapler, it was too late. It was obvious to just about everyone that Kapler had lost the locker room. But the Phillies made the move in August and by that point the season was too far gone to make a true run. The Phillies cant make the same mistake twice. They cant wait around for Girardi and his analytics to figure this out. Girardi is on the final year of his contract, so ownership isnt tied to paying him next season not to work. Find someone else, and get ahead of this thing NOW. Or else the “stupid money” that owner John Middleton talked about a few years ago will have been spent with the man making the lineup card.