What In The World Is Rob Thomson Doing??

“What in the world is Rob Thomson Doing?” That was the question being asked in living rooms across the Delaware Valley Monday night as the Phillies fell to the Baltimore Orioles for their 4^th loss in 5 games. Actually, those questions were being posed long before the game started, as a lineup that featured multiple backups was posted ahead of the game. In a game that the Phils ended up losing 3-2, I think we all agree that some extra offense from Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, or JT Realmuto would’ve been welcome. Unfortunately, though, the lineup was just the start of the managerial mishaps for Thomson when it comes to this game.

Early on in the game, Johan Rojas looped a ball out to center which Orioles outfielder Aaron Hicks laid out for awkwardly, injuring himself in the process. It immediately looked like he had rolled over the baseball, and a quick replay showed an angle where the ball was clearly dislodged from Hicks’ glove. The Phillies, unbelievably, chose not to use their challenge on the play, though. Even Kyle Schwarber, who was on deck during the play, instantly turned to the dugout and voiced that the ball was dropped, but to no avail. It seemed to be a clear choice, and yet, the Phillies chose not to take it. If you want to make the argument that Rob Thomson is not 100% in charge of replay calls, that’s fine, but when a trusted veteran outfielder on your team adamantly tells you to challenge, I think that’s worth consideration. Misstep number two.

As the game continued on, and got into the crunch time of the later innings, the “What in the world is Rob Thomson doing” questions only increased. A couple of tough baserunning decisions by Johan Rojas and Bryce Harper cost the Phillies opportunities late. That has been a theme all year. Once again, Rob Thomson might not be 100% in charge of baserunning, but it is his job as manager to correct bad trends he sees with his team. The constant baserunning blunders this year have warranted correction, and yet, it doesn’t seem that Thomson has done enough to change that trend. It could’ve led to a situation where the Phillies were up late in this game, but instead, they found themselves tied heading into the 9^th. That’s when the most questionable of all of Thomson’s decisions was made.

You’re in a tie ballgame in the 9^th inning. Kyle Schwarber had just batted, and he is the worst fielder in all of baseball. It seemed to be a no-brainer to insert Brandon Marsh, a plus defensive outfielder, for Schwarber in order to give extra defensive support. Instead, Schwarber trotted out to left for the 9^th, and just missed a ball hit down the line that would lead to the winning run for the Orioles. It wasn’t a bad effort by Schwarber at all; he sold out to try and make the catch. Despite coming close to making the play, though, it’s hard to imagine Marsh would not have given it a better bid. It was a brutal loss for the Phillies, and the manager’s fingerprints were all over it.

If the Phillies are going to make a true push for the playoffs in the next couple months, there need to be a lot less “What in the world is Rob Thomson doing?” questions the rest of the way.

When Buster Olney says anything Baseball related, it is worth listening to what he says. And luckily for Phillies fans, he has a lot of good things to say about the Phillies right now. He went on ESPN the other day with Philly's own Kevin Negandhi and sung their praises. Olney believes the Phillies are the team with the best chances to compete with the Braves. Especially considering we have not even seen Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, or Kyle Schwabrer play their best ball yet.

But he also alluded that they could be dangerous players at the deadline. And to get some insight into what he meant by that, The Anthony Gargano Show had him on today. Jamie Lynch and Andrew Salciunas filled in for Anthony and asked Buster Olney to expand on his thoughts about why he is so high on the Phillies, and also what he thought they would do at the deadline.

So will the Phillies be in on big names like Juan Soto, Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, or Shohei Ohtani? Is that just wishful thinking? Is there a more realistic option he can see them making? Buster Olney got into that and more.

Before they asked Buster Olney about the big names, they had to touch on a realistic option first. And the first name that came to mind for him, was Cody Bellinger.

Olney mentioned Ohtani, so they had to ask. Will the Phillies be in on Ohtani? Dan Plesac reported that they may be in the mix on MLB Network, so they wanted to see what Buster thought.

The other hot names are Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. The Cardinals are bad for the first time in a long time. Leading to a ton of rumors that one of their superstars could be moved. But is there any smoke to that fire? Buster Olney poured a little bit of cold water on Phillies fans' dreams on landing one of those big bats.

The last name they asked about was Juan Soto. He took a flight back to Philadelphia for this weekend's Phillies-Padres series with the Phillies' other All-Stars. His name has also been floated for the Phillies. Buster Olney did question whether he is actually on the market though.

They also talked to him about how the Phillies match up with the Braves, the future of Aaron Nola, and more. You can listen to everything Buster Olney had to say below: