Rob Thomson didn’t hesitate to call it like it was after watching the Philadelphia Phillies struggle badly at the plate in a game where they racked up 16 strikeouts against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He pointed to the lineup’s heavy swing-and-miss tendencies, even after a strong start that saw them score four runs in the first inning.
“The entire team tonight, a ton of swing and miss, that was our kind of bug. We started off hot, I thought the first inning was really good,” Thomson said following the 5-4 loss, in comments shared by Luke Arcaini on X.
Early in the game, the first four hitters in the lineup delivered, combining to go 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI to give the Phillies an early lead. But after that, the offense went quiet. Over their next 19 at-bats, they managed just two hits, and despite a solid effort from the pitching staff, they couldn’t hold off Arizona.
The season is still alive for the Phillies
Despite Thomson’s blunt criticism after a tough home loss, the Phillies still have plenty of time to climb in the NL East. They currently sit at 6-7, trailing the New York Mets, who are also dealing with early-season struggles from Carson Benge.
Justin Crawford's first big league triple comes with two outs in the ninth. pic.twitter.com/By4n6vuY7E
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) April 11, 2026
As a bit of perspective, Jeff Kerr shared encouraging numbers on X: “The Phillies were 4-9 through 13 games in 2023, they won 90 games and made the NLCS. The Phillies were 5-8 through 13 games in 2022, they went to the World Series.”
So far in the 2026 season, Philadelphia has won just one home series. They dropped another to the Texas Rangers and are now off to a rough start against the Diamondbacks after splitting six games on the road, where they had hoped to build momentum heading back home.
