The Daycare starts slugging after Rob Thomson says the Phillies will slug

The season debut of the beloved powder blue uniforms finally came against the best National League team by record, the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Philadelphia Phillies, beginning a 10-game home stand, were looking to gain some ground back on Thursday.

The Phillies just came off of a winning 4-2 road trip but were heavily lacking the extra-base hits and “slug” that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from this team. In the three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Phillies went 9-for-32 with RISP with one double and one home run. They also grounded into four double plays.

Players like right fielder Nick Castellanos and company completely disappeared, with chase rates in the batter’s box skyrocketing and continuous baserunning blunders. That all seemed to change Thursday night.

Before the game, manager Rob Thomson was asked by FOX 29 sports anchor Howard Eskin about the lack of slug in the lineup.

”Rob, you say the team is going to slug,” Eskin said. ”I mean, you scored two earned runs yesterday. What can the manager do to try to help the situation to score runs? Sixteen straight singles without an extra-base hit is not going to get it done. What can you do?”

Here’s what the Phillies manager had to say: ”Just keep running them out there because we’re going to slug. And if you don’t think we’re going to slug, you ain’t watching the games."

Thomson continues to show faith in his players and keep their heads up even when they’re scuffling. It’s a big reason why he's the Phillies manager.

Phillies hitters didn’t scuffle for much longer after his comments.

The Daycare slugs the Phillies to a win

Tied at zeros going into the bottom of the fourth inning, third baseman Alec Bohm proved Thomson right with a 407-foot screamer into center field, exiting 102 mph off the bat, giving the Phillies a 1-0 lead.

The lead remained at one going into the bottom of the seventh when the Phillies' current best hitter, Brandon Marsh, stepped to the plate with a runner on first. Marsh drove a hanging 86 mph slider from Pirates starter Jared Jones to left-center field. The ball bounced out of the flower bed, and after the initial ruling of a double, the call was overturned to a home run, extending the Phillies lead to 3-0.

After Castellanos reached second base on an outfield error, Bryson Stott didn’t waste any time and turned on a 96 mph sinker down and in, putting the Phillies up 5-0, and giving the fans a collective sigh of relief.

The Phillies are still last in MLB in doubles this season, with only eight on the year. A far cry from where they’re used to being. But home runs by The Daycare in the final 5-1 win over the Pirates show that this team, in an instant, can absolutely “slug.”

“We’ve got dudes and dogs on dogs that show up and show out every night,” Marsh said after the game, per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. “Wherever Rob [Thomson] puts us, we’re trying to go. We’re ready to go.”

The Phillies slugged their way to a win on the second anniversary of Bohm's infamous “I (expletive) hate this place” game, starting the vibes high at Citizens Bank Park before the Phillies' new City Connect jerseys debut on Friday.