When a manager has to question his team’s grasp of the basics publicly, the problems run deeper than the box score. This is exactly what the Philadelphia Phillies are facing after Rob Thomson blasted his clubhouse following another blowout loss.

“I think it all gets back to the basics, and you’ve got to keep it simple: You’ve got to control the strike zone,” Thomson said. “You’ve got to hit the ball in the middle of the field and try not to do too much, and we’re not doing that right now.”

The Phillies were hosting the Chicago Cubs for their sixth series of the season. After splitting the first two matchups, the Phillies were blown out in the series finale. They lost 11-2 on Wednesday night, a defeat even worse than their 10-4 loss in the second game.

In short, they are struggling in all areas. And Thomson just highlighted how they need to get the basics right. The biggest concern right now is obviously Jesús Luzardo, who allowed 9 runs from 12 hits. He pitched for 5⅓ innings on Wednesday, and the game went out of hand before he was pulled.

But this was not a rare case for him. Luzardo started four games in 2026, pitching 22⅔ innings while allowing 28 hits and 20 ER. His 7.94 ERA is one of the worst in MLB this year. The 28-year-old allowed 5 consecutive hits twice in the last game with the Cubs. His frequency of getting hit (often at 100+ mph exit velocity) attracted a lot of noise about him tipping. 

“We work tirelessly to make sure of that. All my throws in between starts are out of the stretch. Obviously, it’s something that’s kind of biting me, so it’s something we’ve got to fix asap,” Luzardo firmly confirmed that he is not tipping the batters.

But the biggest issues aren’t limited to pitching only. The Phillies’ offense has struggled against left-handers. They secured a lackluster average of .181, while Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga dominated the Philadelphia lineup, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 11 batters.

Bryce Harper tried to put it differently, saying they were “chasing [pitches] out of the zone.” But that is not the full story since most of the lineup, including Adolis García, Alec Bohm, and J.T. Realmuto, struggled significantly against left-handed pitching. This is why Rob Thomson mentioned strike zone discipline. 

Although the manager didn’t name-drop anyone, he clearly emphasized issues with fundamentals and execution. He bluntly puts it on the players. And given the poor start of the season filled with repeated issues, his words land differently. 

Thomson’s remarks hit hard as the Phillies early struggles highlight deeper issues

This is not the first time Rob Thomson has confronted the clubhouse. But the stakes are much higher now with the Phillies losing 10 out of 18 games. And batting and pitching are not the only areas that have raised concerns.

The defense is equally bad, if not worse. Philadelphia sits at the bottom of the list of DRS with -17 in this season. Take catcher Realmuto’s errant throw, for example, and how Trea Turner turned it into a misplay. These aren’t bad luck. Rather, they are lapses in basic execution. 

The manager tried to brush the mistakes off as just “individual fundamentals,” but the stats say otherwise. And the concerns about overall performance feel much deeper than an 8-10 win-loss figure. 

We are talking about a team that won 95 and 96 games in the last two regular seasons. The issues in every department are piling up, making them impossible to overlook. Even though it is too early to panic, the discomfort in the clubhouse is all too real. 

“I like to win games in April as much as I like to win games in September,” Harper said. “Just got to keep grinding, keep going out there, and you know, win the month.”

The veteran tried to inject some urgency and optimism into the clubhouse after the consecutive defeats. 

That’s exactly what Rob Thomson wants. A sense of urgency to bounce back from the early roadblocks. It’s not just the individuals looking for answers. All of Philadelphia is looking for some changes.