Phillies Skipper Explains His Recent Decisions Amid Heavy Criticism

It's never fun for fanbases to see their team go on prolonged losing streaks, and for fans of the Philadelphia Phillies who were enjoying an incredible season for the majority of the campaign, the recent play of this team has been beyond alarming.

Since the All-Star break, the Phillies own an 11-18 record, which is tied for the second-fewest wins in all of Major League Baseball over this span entering Wednesday's slate.

And even though Philadelphia's fanbase would have signed up for a six-game lead in the division and the second-best record in the National League at this point in the season before the year started, that doesn't mean they are happy with what has been going on recently.

Because of that, they are looking to areas to place blame, and one person who has gotten the brunt of criticism lately is manager Rob Thomson.

After being a beloved figure the past two years since they ran Joe Girardi out of town, fans have started to become critical about some of his late-game decision making they feel has cost the Phillies some wins during this losing skid.

Thomson understands that's what he signed up for, especially when playing and coaching in this city.

"It's all part of the job. It really is. And our fanbase is so passionate. I can't control that, but the thing I don't want to have happen [is] our fans lose their passion," he said per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

But he also provided a bit more insight on why he has decided to make some of the decisions that has brought some heat upon himself.

"People have to understand the No. 1 thing we have to do here is win. And I hate losing. I love winning. We've done a lot of it here in the last couple years. But part of that formula is to make sure everybody is healthy and that everybody can get through the end of the year, hopefully get into the playoffs and we make a long run. So there's some tough decisions you have to make along the way to make sure that you stay healthy," Thomson added.

This is in reference to his choices about not pinch-hitting certain guys in certain moments, or who he calls upon out of the bullpen. His critics say he's "mismanaged the game" whenever Philadelphia comes out on the losing side when not performing in big spots.

What he's getting at, though, is really the dilemma he's faced with.

Yes, the Phillies are losing games right now they need to be winning, but should they really sacrifice potential future success in the playoffs by going all out in the regular season?

That doesn't seem to be the smartest decision, either.

"But that doesn't mean that I don't want to win. It just means I want to take care of some people. Because if we lose some people in a manner where you're not being very prudent in your decisions, that's a problem," Thomson said.

So, that's his explanation.

Fans can either take it or leave it, but it's clear that the decisions he, the coaching staff, and the organization are making is to ensure this team is healthy when they are playing for an opportunity to win the World Series.