Phillies Skipper Admitted Team 'Needs a Break' Heading Into All-Star Week

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh let out a literal sigh of relief when he secured the final out of Sunday's contest against the San Diego Padres to avoid a disheartening sweep heading into the All-Star break.

Just about everyone who is a fan of this team likely did the same.

Sunday was another grinding game that featured an elite pitching performance by a Phillies player and a seemingly-dominant showing from the opposing team's pitcher because Philadelphia's offense failed to get things going again.

That's been the theme throughout the first part of the season, and it's become even more apparent during the six-game West Coast road trip.

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Everything surrounding the Phillies right now feels strange.

Power is no longer in their bats, the team doesn't appear like they are having fun and the fanbase that was once checked out following six straight losing years, is no longer impressed with a team sitting first place in the NL East at the All-Star break coming off their first division title since 2011.

Everyone needs some time away, and manager Rob Thomson admitted as much.

"I think everybody needs a break right now," he said, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required). "I just think we’ve been grinding. There haven't been many games where you've felt really comfortable. Everything's been a close game, whether we're down, whether we're up. And I think everybody just needs a little break right now."

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It's hard to argue against that.

Baseball is a mental grind, and for a team full of perfectionists playing in a city full of fans that expect their favorite team to be perfect, not meeting those internal and external expectations can be tiresome.

But that's the territory that comes with being on a team with enough talent to win a World Series.

This group also understands the importance of playing their best when it matters most.

In 2022, when the city of Philadelphia was rejuvenated by baseball for the first time in years, they got red-hot down the stretch and rode that momentum to the Fall Classic where they came up just short.

In 2023, after they started the season slowly mainly because of injuries, they found their stride to get into the playoffs and take out the Atlanta Braves, but their bats went cold at the worst possible time.

Last year is when things were different.

The Phillies tried to right their wrongs immediately and got out to a scorching pace, only to peak at the wrong time and perform like a middling group for the rest of the way that caused them to be eliminated by a red-hot New York Mets team in the NLDS.

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Is Philadelphia pacing themselves this season before flipping the switch?

Everyone hopes that's the case.

Perhaps this break will allow that to come to fruition.

For more Phillies news, head over to Phillies On SI.