Philadelphia Phillies Front Office Makes Admission About Recent Performance

The Philadelphia Phillies are in a slump. They have hit a massive bump in the road in their quest to make another appearance in the World Series.

The team added shortstop Trea Turner and another splashy acquisition in Taijuan Walker this past winter in MLB free agency. Philadelphia also made a big trade for relief pitcher Gregory Soto and made other acquisitions to bolster the bullpen, notably Matt Strahm.

And now after a poor run in California, the Phillies sit with a 20-23 record having lost five of their last 10 games.

It's reminiscent of last season's start that resulted in the firing of manager Joe Girardi.

This current performance is starting to raise plenty of question.

President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski spoke with the Philadelphia Inquirer and gave an honest assessment about the current state of affairs.

“I’m surprised that we haven’t played better so far,” Dombrowski said. “I thought we would play better.”

“We made a managerial change last year, which we will not be making,” Dombrowski said. “It’s one of those where, I think the culture has been built. It’s good. I think they believed they could do it [last season]. I think they now know they can do it. But when I say that, you still have to do it.”

So getting rid of Rob Thomson is out of the question. Which is a promising sign. Thomson has proved he can lead this team to their heights. But the team just hasn't come together.

The rotation has not performed well, looking lethargic. Injuries also haven't helped.

The bullpen has been a downright liability.

And the offense has been nearly non-existent outside of a few players. Even the return of Bryce Harper, the paragon of the team, has not done enough to inject life into this team.

At some point this team is too talented to continue performing at this troubling level.

But until the results come through, the tough questions will continue to be asked.

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