Phillies Have Golden Opportunity Ahead To Turn Season Around

Things have not gone well for the Philadelphia Phillies thus far in the 2026 MLB regular season, which has led to the firing of manager Rob Thomson.

They are tied with the New York Mets for the worst record in baseball at 9-19. The National League East rivals are the last two teams in the MLB to not yet have double-digit victories and are already 10.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the divisional standings.

There has not been much for Phillies fans to get excited about that would insinuate the team will be able to get back on track. They have lost six series in a row, with their last victory coming over the Colorado Rockies April 3-5.

However, Philadelphia is being presented with a golden opportunity to get its season on track. They have an incredibly favorable schedule coming up, one that they must take advantage of to salvage the campaign.

Phillies have favorable schedule to take advantage of

Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper swingin — Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper (3) hits a two-run single against the Atlanta Braves in the tenth inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Four consecutive series are being played against teams that did not qualify for the playoffs last year. It starts with a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants, who started this streak of six series losses in a row after recording back-to-back shutouts on April 7 and 8.

A four-game series against the Miami Marlins follows that. It will be the first time they face off against their divisional rivals this season, and it will be played at loanDepot park. There will be a little extra juice in that series against an NL East foe.

Following that quick trip to Miami, the Phillies will return home for a six-game homestand in which they will host the Athletics and Rockies.

As things currently stand, the only team during this stretch that owns a record above the .500 mark in 2026 is the Athletics at 15-13.

Now or never for Philadelphia to get on track

Apr 13, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) celebrates his home run with first baseman Bryce Harper (3) against the Chicago Cubs during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox, who just fired manager Alex Cora, will host Philadelphia for a three-game series following the conclusion of the three-game set against Colorado at Citizens Bank Park. If you include that set, it makes four of their next five opponents under the .500 mark.

10 games under .500 already, these are must-win games for the Phillies. If they want any hope of turning things around and forcing their way back into the playoff picture in the NL, the turnaround has to start against the Giants.

This is a great opportunity for Don Mattingly, who is taking over from Thomson as the interim manager, to get off to a good start. If he can lead a turnaround, he will have as good a case as anyone to get the job on a full-time basis.

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