Hey, Phillies fans, are you ready for a playoff run?

Well, maybe it’s too early to think about, but their resurgence under new manager Don Mattingly certainly has stoked the postseason flames again with his 7-1 start from the dugout.

After Wednesday’s game against the Athletics, the Phils have a 17-20 record, going from a 9-19 mark under former skipper Rob Thomson. Even though it’s only 37 games, they are just three games behind the final Wild Card spot.

There’s a long way to go, but the Phils are back to playing the baseball everyone thought they could. They are sitting in second place, 8.5 games behind the Braves, who are soaring and playing close to .700 ball.

Cut The Tension ... Mattingly didn’t wave a magic wand or throw any magic dust over his team to awaken them from their apparent slumber.

What happened? Less pressure.

Over the past week-plus, the Phillies are looking more loose and playing more confidently. It appears that Thomson’s exit lifted a sense of tension and anxiety that was hanging over the team.

Mattingly has juggled the lineups, especially in the outfield where rookie Felix Reyes has been moved around. Trea Turner even got a day off. Mattingly also has had staff and team meetings, mainly centered around their negative run differential, and being dead last in defensive runs saved.

The former Yankees icon has shown the propensity to jumble the lineup, and make more use of Edmundo Sosa and the rest of the bench. Garrett Stubbs stayed up as a third catcher and played left field.

Role Call ... With Mattingly, the lineup and pitching suddenly has found its mark.

Jesus Luzardo has rebounded with two stellar outings, and Aaron Nola flashed his old form in his last start. Cristopher Sanchez tossed eight stellar innings Tuesday, and Zack Wheeler had 14 strikeouts in his first 11 innings back with a fastball clocking 95 mph.

With Jhoan Duran back, the overworked bullpen can reshuffle to their designated roles.

Turner has found a more consistent stroke, and Bryson Stott has elevated his game with a power surge of three homers and nine RBIs in eight games.

Alec Bohm hasn’t been able to shake his offensive woes, but seems destined to stay in the lineup for now. Under Mattingly, Schwarber has struggled, but he and Bryce Harper are both on track for 30-plus homer seasons.

Will it work? Mattingly seemingly has all the pieces to make a postseason run. The Phils have an upcoming trip to the Dodgers and Padres, and of course summer’s dog days are looming.

Quick Quiz ... The Mets recently had a game canceled in Colorado due to snow. Have the Phillies had a canceled snow home game?

Beginnings ... In Mattingly’s first managerial stint with the Dodgers in 2011, he went 5-3 through his first eight games, and ironically, his team was 16-20 after 36 games, the same as the current Phillies were before Wednesday’s game. The Dodgers finished the season with an overall 82-79 record, and finished third.

When he began with the Marlins in 2016, Mattingly started 3-5 and was 19-17 through 36 games. Miami also finished third with an overall 79-82 slate.

So far, Mattingly has pushed all the right buttons, and has two visits to the NL Championship Series in his previous stop in LA. His last 7-1 stretch was with the Dodgers in 2012, when they went 86-76 and finished second.

In terms of destiny, Mattingly managed Carl Crawford, Justin’s father, during the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

In his last managerial season, Mattingly’s Marlins were 69-93 in 2022, good for a fourth-place finish.

Musical Managers ... Before Thomson replaced Joe Girardi in 2022, the last in-season change was in 2015 when Pete Mackanin took over for Ryne Sandberg and went 1-7 in eight games.

Who had the best takeover before Mattingly? It was a tie between John Vukovich for Lee Elia in 1988, and Jim Fregosi for Nick Leyva in 1991, who both went 5-3.

Paul Owens for Pat Corrales in 1983, and Dallas Green for Danny Ozark in 1979 both went 4-4.

Good As 1998? ... The Yankees’ 25-11 start has many of the pinstripe faithful drawing comparisons to the 1998 squad that posted a 114-48 record on their way to a title.

That team had three starters who pitched over 200 innings (Andy Pettitte, David Wells and David Cone), and Mariano Rivera saved 36 games with a 1.91 ERA to anchor the bullpen.

Bernie Williams won the batting title with a .339 average, and he was one of four .300-plus hitters in the lineup.

After 36 games, the 1998 Yanks were 27-9. This year’s club is just two games off that pace.

So, can these Yankees win 114 games? Probably not. But the current club should hover around the 100-win mark.

There wasn’t a big bopper like Aaron Judge on the 1998 Yankees, and Ben Rice figures to be in the running for the batting title with his current .343 average.

Rice and injured Giancarlo Stanton (.302) are the only .300 hitters, but their lineup is as solid as it’s ever been. Light-hitting Ryan McMahon has begun to hit, and Jose Caballero has been solid at short with his league-leading 13 stolen bases.

The difference for the current Yankees is the starting pitching behind Max Fried and Cam Schlittler, who have a combined 9-2 record with a 1.98 ERA. They soon will be getting Garrit Cole and Carlos Rodon back. Ryan Weathers has been consistent as a backend starter.

In the bullpen, there isn’t a Mariano Rivera, nor a similar supporting staff. Yet, David Bednar has been throwing hard with his 10 saves and 3.52 ERA to top an above-average rest of the bullpen.

We may not see a mirror image of the 1998 Yankees, but these Yanks have the potential to get pretty close.

By the way, the ‘22 Yankees were 99-63, and Judge was the only .300 hitter.

On The Rise ... Baseball is back on Chicago’s South Side, where the White Sox (17-20) are watchable again. They entered Wednesday winning six of their last nine. Japan import Munetaka Murakami, once a strikeout machine, had 14 homers and 28 RBI. The Reds (20-16), under Terry Francona, have played well with MVP candidate shortstop Elly De La Cruz.

Mediocrity ... Starting Wednesday’s games, the Yankees, Rays (23-12) and A’s (18-17) were the only teams in the American League above .500. The A’s — I still see them as Oakland — were in first place.

Over in the National League, all of the teams in the Central — led by the Cubs (24-12) — are above .500, while the other teams above are the Braves (26-11), and also the competitive West with the Dodgers (22-14), Padres (21-14), and Diamondbacks (17-17).

The Don Will Rule ... Will Mattingly make the difference? According to a recent Times News Sports Facebook poll, 76 percent of the pollsters believe Mattingly will, while 24 percent believe he won’t.

Readers Write

Don’t Jump To Conclusions

Dear Jeff,

Time will tell if Mattingly is the answer. I think JT (Realmuto) said it best when he said it was the players’ fault for not producing (that Topper was fired). But when it is the entire team, the manager will always take the fall. I don’t think Topper was assertive enough, and he did not always make the best managerial decisions.

Melissa Hager

Lehighton

The Don Will Rule

Dear Jeff,

Absolutely, the Phils will turn it around. Plenty of playoff teams have had a 9-19 record skid in the middle of their seasons, but it went unnoticed. It just really looks bad when you start that way.

Tyler Scheuer

Newtown Grant, PA

Mets Mess ... Except for their series win over the Angels — who are in the same vein as the Mets — nothing has changed much with the lowly Mets (13-22).

The only player to watch is pitcher Nolan McLean, who has great movement on his ball and has suffered from lack of run support.

Quiz Answer ... Yes, the Phillies 1982 home opener against New York was canceled due to snow.

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will look back at a former area standout.

Ryan Gimbi was a stellar baseball and basketball player for Marian. On the mound, Gimbi led the Colts to the semifinal round of the District 11 Class A tournament, and also had a dunk late in the game to lead the Colts to a district basketball championship, both in his senior year of 2011.

Gimbi then took his baseball career to King’s College, where he pitched for four years. His best year arguably was when he was 2-4 with a 3.18 ERA, with two complete games in seven appearances as a junior. A year earlier, Gimbi went 3-3 with a 5.80 ERA in nine appearances and two complete games. As a sophomore, Gimbi recorded a season-high 56 strikeouts.

Overall, Gimbi went 8-12 with a 5.74 ERA and registered 165 career strikeouts, two short of the team record.

Your thoughts are always welcomed; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com.