The Philadelphia Phillies are going through a rough patch. After starting the 2025 season 7-2, the Phillies have lost 11 of their last 18 games.
The Phillies had lost five straight games before their win on Saturday, including a three-game sweep at the hands of the New York Mets. The bullpen woes are a major issue, and the offense isn’t living up to its standard.
Rob Thomson’s evaluation of Phillies after being swept by the Mets is way off the mark
The Major League Baseball season is long. With a 162-game season, there’s going to be ups and downs for every team. However, with a team as talented as the Phillies, there shouldn’t be more questions than answers, even if it’s still early in the season.
The Phillies own a 14-13 record and sit in second place in the NL East, five games back of the Mets. After simply being outplayed by the Mets during last year’s NLDS and being eliminated from the playoffs in four games, the gap between the two teams is becoming increasingly evident. Not to mention the Mets’ recent sweep of the Phillies.
“No,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said when asked if there’s a gap between his ball club and the Mets, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
Thomson remains confident that the Phillies are a good team and emphasized that following the three-game sweep by the Mets. The calendar is only about to flip to May, so it’s not time to panic about the Phillies’ early-season struggles. It is time to start playing better to avoid falling into a hole in the division and playoff race as the season progresses.
The Phillies’ starting rotation is among the best in the majors despite Aaron Nola’s 0-5 record, Cristopher Sánchez’s injury scare and Ranger Suárez yet to make his season debut as he rehabs from a back injury. The offense has the third-best on-base percentage, 10th-best OPS and seventh-best batting average.
The main area of concern is the bullpen. The Phillies’ bullpen owns the second-worst ERA (5.46) in the third-fewest innings pitched (89), and opposing offenses are hitting a major league-leading .285 against them. Jordan Romano, who was expected to be a late-inning, high-leverage replacement for Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez, owns a 13.50 ERA in 11 appearances this season.
There’s still a lot of time for the Phillies to figure things out and get back on track. However, Thomson is way off the mark for not believing there’s a gap between the Phillies and the Mets right now.