CHICAGO – As Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski passed by Rate Field on his way to join his club on the north side of Chicago, he couldn’t help but recall his 1983 season as a member of the White Sox front office. That club, Dombrowski noted, opened the season 16-24 before eventually winning 99 games and taking home the AL West crown.
That context is key for Dombrowski these days as he watches the Phillies endure a trying stretch to open the 2026 campaign. His club entered Tuesday’s bout with the Cubs in the middle of a six-game losing streak where seemingly every aspect of the roster is in a funk. But even as the Phillies find themselves 7 1/2 games behind first-place Atlanta in the NL East, that difficult start to the 1983 season reminds Dombrowski not to get too caught up in April funks.
“I'm not worried about the hole,” Dombrowski said. “I've been with clubs in much worse holes than this that have won divisions. The hole doesn't bother me. It's that we need to play better, and that's where it goes. Nothing miraculous happens, you just have to go out and play better.”
Dombrowski admits he’s just as perplexed as many observers are when it comes to his club’s performance so far, especially on offense. Despite a lineup featuring All-Star caliber talent in Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner, the Phillies came into Tuesday having scored just 76 runs this season. Only the Giants and Mets have scored fewer runs across the Majors.
Much of the club’s struggles have taken place in the middle of the order, where hitters like Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and newcomer Adolis García have had trouble getting going offensively. Stott’s .210 average represents the highest among those three players, while he and Bohm have combined for just four extra-base hits.
That bad luck has played a major factor in the Phillies' overall offensive performance has only made this stretch tougher to watch. As of Tuesday, the club collectively boasted a hard-hit rate of 41.1%, which ranks ninth in MLB. Likewise, only three big league clubs have a lower batting average on balls in play than Philadelphia’s (.263).
Metrics like these have Dombrowski believing things will course-correct for the Phillies, but he understands the frustration that may come from hitting the ball so well and not yet seeing results.
“The one thing you can't do is give into it,” Dombrowski said. “You have to keep on working, fighting hard and battling through it. We will come out of it. I can't give you a date when or where, because we're just too talented to not. Alec Bohm didn't forget how to be a good big league hitter. Bryson Stott didn't forget how to be a good big league hitter. The list goes on with other people, too.
“They're good players, they're good hitters. It's not working for them right now.”
While Dombrowski understands the anger fans may feel watching the club fight through its April malaise, he stressed the importance of not overreacting. He dismissed any notion that manager Rob Thomson’s job security was in question, instead noting that it’s too early to make any rash decisions.
“I think it's a balance that you just have to strike when you watch your team play,” Dombrowski said. “Generally, I've said about 40 games of the season is when you start to say, ‘OK, where are we shaping up? Guys have had enough time.’ But there's no magic in that number. Sometimes it's a little bit more, sometimes it's a little bit less.
“They're not happy with their performances. Shoot, I'm responsible for putting the club on the field, so I'm not happy with the way it's going. But I think you just balance that all the time on a daily basis.”
Dombrowski refused to beat around the bush. He was quick to admit no aspect of the club’s performance is standing out in a positive light right now. But as the tension mounts and an NL East standings deficit threatens to widen way earlier than anticipated, those trying days with the ‘83 White Sox remind him that overreacting in April won’t solve his club’s troubles.
“I've done this a long time, and basically what you learn is there's no sense in worrying about things you can't control,” he said. “I've learned that a long time ago. So I don't really fret when that type of stuff happens in this sense. Yeah, you get frustrated. But the way you go about it is, well, the next day you have to go do it again.”