As the Philadelphia Phillies struggle with an 8-15 record, several critics have put the Phillies’ manager on the hot seat. A seven-game losing streak has plunged the team into crisis, forcing team president Dave Dombrowski to publicly address the future of manager Rob Thomson.

The Phillies had a chance to end their skid, as they were tied with the Cubs 1-1 until the sixth inning on Tuesday. But plagued by command issues, the Phillies’ pitchers failed to hold off the opponent hitters, as they surrendered 10 walks and hit two batters. Handing the Cubs 12 free baserunners quickly led to a messy 7-4 loss.

Yet, manager Rob Thomson’s job is not immediately at risk, Dombrowski told the reporters, as per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.

“Dave Dombrowski last night to reporters in Chicago, on Rob Thomson’s job security: “We’re not, but if we were, I wouldn’t even … that’s not something we’d ever share. Rob Thomson’s been a good manager for us for since [2022]. We always look at everything that’s taken place, but no, that’s not being pondered at this point,” wrote Zolecki on X.

Rob Thomson took over as the Phillies’ manager after Dombrowski fired Joe Girardi in June 2022. That year, Thomson pulled a 65-46 turnaround to win the NL Pennant from a disappointing 22-29 start with Girardi as the skipper. It was the Phillies’ first postseason appearance since 2011.

Thomson has been highly successful since taking over the clubhouse. He has guided the Phillies to four straight playoff appearances, including back-to-back NL East division titles in 2024 and 2025. The Phillies have extended his managerial contract through 2027, and Dombrowski has no plans of reversing his decision yet.

According to Inquirer Sports, Dombrowski usually waits until a team has played 40 games before deciding how good or bad they really are. The Phillies are 23 games in, and they have at least 17 more games before the President of Baseball Operations gets involved himself.

However, Dombrowski has confirmed that he is always keeping an eye on what’s happening within his team.

Dombrowski addresses the Phillies’ on-field struggles

The Philadelphia Phillies are off to an abysmal start in 2026, struggling with hitting and pitching. Dave Dombrowski has also acknowledged the same to the Inquirer Sports.

“We just haven’t played very well. It’s really every portion of our game,” said Dombrowski, as per Lochlahn March of Inquirer Sports.

“There’s been some individual players that have done fine, by all means, who are doing well. As a group, I don’t think any part of our team has excelled: Offensively, pitching-wise, starting pitching-wise, defensively.”

Kyle Schwarber’s solo shot at the top of the sixth tied the score at 1-1 against the Cubs. Schwarber is leading the team in terms of home runs (8) and RBIs (15). On Tuesday, Bryce Harper also drove in a two-run homer off reliever Riley Martin. Harper is batting at an average of .274 this season. But collectively, the Phillies’ offense has not worked out.

They have struggled to put enough runs on the scoreboard so far in the season. The Phillies have scored only 14 runs in the last 7 games, including a 9-0 shutout against the Atlanta Braves. Their collective batting average has dropped to .218, putting them at 28th place in the league.

The pitching hasn’t been much better either. During the seven-game skid, they have given up 49 runs. Collectively, they have an ERA as high as 4.99, though starter Cristopher Sanchez has posted a 1.59 ERA individually. However, he has a high BABIP of .413 this season despite his impressive 4.88 K/BB ratio. Sanchez made his last start against the Braves.

Pitching inconsistencies played a big part during the Phillies’ latest loss. Though he managed to hold the Cubs to one run through the fifth inning, Jesus Luzardo struggled with command. He issued 4 walks and 5 hits in 4.2 innings.

But the match got away from the Phillies once the bullpen took over. While pitching in the bottom of the sixth, Tanner Banks surrendered 2 walks, 2 runs, and 3 hits, including Michael Busch’s go-ahead two-run single. And the Phillies never recovered, as the Cubs added on with Nico Hoerner and Seiya Suzuki’s homers off Tim Mayza in the seventh inning.

If the Phillies want to save their season and also want their manager to continue, they need to start winning now. Dombrowski might not be thinking of removing Thomson right now. However, that 40-game deadline is fast approaching.

The Phillies will again face the Cubs on Wednesday, not only to save the series but also to prove their worth to the front office.