From ScottLauber: The Phillies won their seventh consecutive game — No. 6 under Rob Thomson — with a sweep-completing 8-3 trouncing of the Brewers.
MILWAUKEE — It’s been a week since Dave Dombrowski woke up, went for a jog, and decided to fire Joe Girardi.Call it the Thomson Turnaround, and well, you wouldn’t be wrong. It isn’t all about the manager, of course, but dumping Girardi and replacing him with longtime bench coach Rob Thomson has served the desired purpose of shocking the Phillies into playing better.
Don’t look now, but the Phillies are within one game of .500 , and their next 13 games are against noncontending Arizona, Miami, Washington, and Texas. If they’re going to make their move in the National League playoff race, now is the time, part of the reason Dombrowski believed last Friday was the right time for a managerial change.
The Phillies are built to bash their way to victories, and it’s exactly what they have done, especially since Thomson took over. They have outscored opponents by 53-18 during the winning streak. Under Thomson, they have scored 47 runs, an average of 7.8 runs per game, hit 16 homers, and slugged .591.Charlie Manuel: Joe Girardi’s firing, Bobby Abreu’s trade gave the Phillies a similar jolt
But there’s seemingly no stopping the Thomson Turnaround. Didi Gregorius, who finished with three hits, broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning with a two-out, check-swing RBI double to left field, the sort of result that happens only when everything is going perfectly.A year ago, Schwarber went 28-for-100 with 16 homers and a .760 slugging percentage in June to turn around his season after a slow start with the Washington Nationals, who inserted him in the leadoff spot.