The Philadelphia Phillies have won their first four games with Don Mattingly as their interim manager.
Don Mattingly stood in front of reporters on Wednesday shortly after being named interim manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, and said the only visible change he hopes fans see is a better brand of baseball.
“We haven't been, you know, losing, unluckily. We've contributed to that. We have to play better baseball,” explained Mattingly earlier this week.
“We've lost because we haven't played better baseball than the other team. We're talented enough. We know that. We believe that. We just got to go do that. You can talk about it all you want.”
It was a simple message, but one that had to be said, given that the Phillies have underperformed in just about every aspect of the game so far in 2026.
And, to Mattingly’s credit, it appears the players listened, or at least responded to what he’s saying. Since Mattingly took over as manager, the Phillies have yet to lose a contest and have won four straight games for the first time this season.
Apr 30, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly walks back to the dugout after a pitching change against the San Francisco Giants at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn ImagesPhiladelphia swept the San Francisco Giants, including a pair of walk-offs on Thursday, and a victory in their series opener against the Miami Marlins on Friday.
In these wins, the Phillies have looked like a different, rejuvenated group in all aspects of the game, too.
Philadelphia's offense, especially has been a bright spot over Mattingly's first four
Over the last four games, the Phillies have a .291/.366/.478 slash line, coming out to a wRC+ of 132.
Mattingly hasn't dramatically changed the lineup either. Outside of Trea Turner's day off on Friday, the Phillies have used the same top as they did for the majority of Rob Thomson's first month with the season.
For the run differential crowd, the Phillies also have a +9 advantage since Mattingly took over as skipper.
Yes, four games is a small sample size, and for a group that’s been inconsistent through the first month of the year, there’s still a lot more to prove.
However, it’s hard to argue with the early results; the very beginning of the Phillies Mattingly era is off to a successful start.
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