Jordan Romano blew yet another save, as the Phillies lost to the Mets 4-3. The loss concludes a series sweep against Mets, who now have a stranglehold on the NL East.
It is difficult to blame Jordan Romano at this point. He is a bad reliever. The fault lands solely at the feet of Manager Rob Thomson.
Thomson’s calling card is trust in his players, even to a fault. His trust in his players is a commendable trait. But it often leads to untimely runs, unfortunate at bats, and an uncanny propensity to turn wins into losses.
Recall that during the 2023 NLCS series against the Diamondbacks, Thomson refused to remove Johan Rojas from the lineup or even pinch-hit for him. Johan Rojas ended the series with a .136 batting average and a .136 on base percentage in 22 at bats. Bryce Harper had 23 at bats.
In the same series, Thomson continued to utilize reliever Craig Kimbrel in high-leverage situations despite his poor performances. He blew two saves and had a 12.00 ERA.
Thomson is clearly trying to get Romano through a rough patch in his career. He is demonstrating to Romano that the team will trust him and have his back no matter what. The unfortunate reality is that while it is only April, a series against the division leaders is not the time to demonstrate trust, especially not in a player that has not earned that trust at any point in his career with the Phillies.
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