Phillies Rightfully Receive Horrible Grade for Struggles in April

The Philadelphia Phillies recently received a horrible grade from their struggles in April.

Apr 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies head coach Rob Thomson (49) makes a pitching change against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are not off to a good start to the season, and there are rightfully some concerns about how things are going to go forward. Even though there has been a glimmer of hope, the overall record is still not good. 

Coming into the year, the Phillies were expected to be one of the best teams in baseball following multiple years of being a true contender in the National League. Even though the team might have won a lot of games in recent seasons, they have ultimately fallen short of their goal. 

Due to the struggles of the team, it came as little surprise to see them fire their manager, Rob Thomson. Philadelphia started the year (9-19) with a 10-game losing streak, resulting in the team looking to go in a different direction. 

While Thomson's firing made sense, he wasn’t the only person to blame for the struggles. Some of the veterans are not performing well, but there is still time to turn things around. However, that doesn’t change what has already happened for the team, and those results aren’t good. 

David Schoenfield of ESPN recently graded all of the teams after the first full month of the season. For the Phillies, the grade was rightfully an ‘F’. 

Philadelphia Rightfully Receives Terrible Grade

Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly | Rhona Wise-Imagn Images

It comes as no surprise to see the Phillies receive an F grade for their performance so far. This is a team that has high expectations and has fallen way short of them. With one of the worst run differentials in baseball, it is no surprise that they have struggled the way they have. 

Even though things did not go well to start, there is some reason to believe that things are turning around. With Don Mattingly taking over, the team is (5-1) in their last six games, and some of the struggles on offense have looked a lot better. 

During that span, Philadelphia has scored at least six runs four times, and that is a very encouraging sign for the franchise. If the offense can continue to perform well, it will go a long way toward helping them sustain success. 

Overall, this is still a team that is very talented and easily could come back and be a contender once again. The move to Mattingly as the manager has created a spark, now they have to figure out a way to sustain it.