Ever since the Philadelphia Phillies let go of manager Joe Girardi, they have looked like the team that everybody thought they were going to be this year.
This is a team that signed Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber to go with Bryce Harper and was projected to be a clear postseason contender.
They started off poorly, but since letting go of Girardi, they have yet to lose and look like a completely different team.
Rob Thomson has taken the reigns and they are off to the races.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale tweeted about what the Phillies have done since firing Girardi, and let’s just say these are some gaudy numbers.
The #Phillies have come alive under new manager Rob Thomson. They win once again, completing an impressive three-game sweep over the #Brewers. That's 7 in a row, outscoring the opposition, 53-19, during the streak. This is their second-longest winning streak since 2012.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) June 9, 2022
Phightin’ Phils
This is unbelievable.
Not only did they just sweep the Milwaukee Brewers, a team that is leading the NL Central and that won 95 games last season, but they have outscored their opponents by a ton: 53-19 to be exact.
And how about their winning streak?
That’s seven in a row!
They still are nine games behind the New York Mets in the NL East and sit at third in their division, but they have come to within 2.5 games of the Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants, both of whom are tied for the third NL Wild Card spot.
Could the Phillies end up returning to where they were prior to 2012?
Could they become the powerhouse that they once were?
If they stay hot, anything is possible.
But without Girardi, things look completely different, and this looks like a very dangerous ballclub that is going to make some noise down the stretch.
It’s only June, but they picked the right time to make a managerial change.
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