Sometimes, nice guys do finish last. And in Rob Thomson’s case, he is a nice guy, and his former team is in last (or tied for it).

Thomson became the inevitable fall guy Tuesday morning in the Phils’ disastrous 9-19 start, which saw bench coach and former Yankee icon Don Mattingly take over.

We shouldn’t be surprised, as we knew this script would unravel once the Phillies began scuffling.

Phillies president Dave Dombrowski undercut Thomson when he spoke Sunday to his former manager, recently fired Boston skipper Alex Cora about taking over two days before Thomson was fired. Cora turned the offer down, but he will assuredly be at the top of the list after the season.

Dombrowski had the perfect ace in his pocket if the Phillies got off to a slow start. He was adamant about running the same cast back, and that became more apparent when the team failed to bring in free agent Bo Bichette, who signed with the Mets.

Unfortunately, Thomson’s firing was justified. The club looked unprepared, disinterested and lackadaisical on too many occasions. They made too many baserunning blunders, and chased too many bad pitches. Their defense overall was atrocious.

Thomson was a frantic poker player, shuffling the deck to make the best of what he had. He didn’t have a pure cleanup hitter, and tried to keep rookie Jesus Reyes’ instant success alive there.

He juggled the lineup — probably too much — and pulled Justin Crawford out more than he should have. Watching bench player and hitless Dylan Moore flub a ball in center — where he hadn’t played in two years — that cost them a game further piled it on.

The Phils needed a change now, as it was hitting .223, 29th overall, with a run differential of -47. Dombrowski couldn’t wait until 51 games, when he fired Joe Girardi in 2022. The Phils can’t afford to get double digits behind the Braves and fall out of Wild Card contention.

Mattingly has the same temperament as Thomson, and won’t be mistaken for former skipper Dallas Green. But the club looked alive in its first shutout of the season (7-0) against San Francisco Tuesday night. Jesus Luzardo’s seven-inning stint also was the longest of any starter this season.

Start Me Up ... When Thomson took over for Girardi in 2022, the Phillies caught fire and won eight straight, and 14 of 16 before they endured a three-game losing streak. Thomson went 65-46 the rest of the way.

It was the club’s first in-season change since the late Ryne Sandberg was fired with a 26-48 mark in 2015 and replaced by Pete Mackanin, who went 37-51.

See if Mattingly can weave the same magic taking over. The Phils head to Miami for a four-game set, and then return home for the A’s and Rockies.

With Zack Wheeler back and Jhoan Duran returning soon, Mattingly can certainly benefit.

But it all comes down to the lineup living up to its potential. The pieces for Mattingly are all there.

Pinstripe Pearls ... Heading into Wednesday’s game in Texas, the Yankees were 7-1 on their road trip, outscoring their opponents 43-21, having slugged 16 home runs in the process.

What continues to be impressive is their starting pitching, led by rookie Cam Schlittler (4-1, 1.51 ERA, 49 strikeouts, six walks) and veteran Max Fried (4-1, 2.09 ERA, 37 strikeouts, 11 walks). Luis Gil, the 2024 Rookie of the Year, was sent down due to his struggles.

Still, David Bednar has nine saves, and they lead the majors in ERA at 3.06. They also lead the majors with 48 homers, thanks in large part to slugger Aaron Judge, who has 12 and is on pace for 66.

Top pitching prospect, 22-year-old Elmer Rodriguez, made his debut Tuesday and allowed two runs and four hits in four innings.

With Giancarlo Stanton sidelined, Jasson Dominguez has another chance to prove himself after last season’s struggles. Spencer Jones, also on the outfield horizon, has seven homers and 30 RBIs, and is hitting .242 at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Skating Carlos ... With Cora and Thomson fired, it was assumed that Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza would follow. Unless there is another long losing streak soon, Mendoza may be safe for the rest of the season.

Like the Phillies, their starting lineup is laboring, with Clay Holmes and Nolan McLean the lone pitching stalwarts. The Mets don’t appear to have a solution at first base with Mark Vientos and often-injured Jorge Polanco, meaning they will likely have to make a deal.

There’s still hope that spring training rumors of future Tigers free agent Tarik Skubal being traded to Queens could materialize.

Close Call ... A recent Times News Sports Facebook poll posed the question of whether Thomson should have been fired and replaced by Cora.

Well, 43 percent of voters weren’t in favor of Cora for Thomson, while 41 percent thought it was a good change. There also were 14 percent who didn’t care.

Quick Quiz ... What former Dodger set the MLB record for RBIs in a month in April 1977?

Mark The Stott ... Besides Alec Bohm having his well-publicized problems, second baseman Bryson Stott is also struggling.

Entering Wednesday night’s game, Stott was hitting .213 with zero homers and four RBIs, not to mention 16 strikeouts in 80 at-bats, a .267 on-base percentage and a .530 OPS. But he does have a team-high five steals in his 20 starts.

Edmundo Sosa has been an alternative at second, playing 15 games, with 10 starts at the potion. Sosa has a .262 average, a homer, seven RBIs, a .300 OBP and a .721 OPS. However, Stott is better defensively than Sosa.

Stott signed a one-year, $5.9 million deal, avoiding salary arbitration. It covered his second year of arbitration eligibility, leaving one year before he becomes a free agent after 2027.

Aroon Escobar, viewed as their top second-base prospect, is hitting .224 at Reading. Robert Moore, a 2022 Brewers pick, is hitting .250 at Lehigh Valley. Infielder Aidan Miller, the top prospect in the system, is seen as the heir apparent for Bohm.

Those Were The Days ... Believe it or not, there was one day when the Phillies were in first place this season — April 6 — when they were 6-4 and tied with Miami and the Mets.

They also put together a four-game winning streak from March 31 to April 4, when they also posted their largest margin of victory, a 10-1 win over Colorado on April 3.

Brave New World ... Besides the Dodgers and Yankees, the Braves continue to be the game’s best story. They began play Wednesday with a majors-best 21-9 record, and had won 11 of their last 13.

If the Phillies and Mets don’t get it in gear soon, the Braves will pull away in the division. Chris Sale, who mowed down the Phillies already, is off to a 5-1 start and looks to once again be a Cy Young contender.

Along with Sale, Spencer Strider will return Sunday, Hurston Waldrep is due back in June, and Spencer Schwellenbach will return after the All-Star break. If they return to form, the Braves will have the strongest starting staff.

In his last 11 games, Michael Harris is hitting .485 with 13 RBIs.

Aside from the Braves, sports editor Patrick Matsinko’s A’s are hanging on to the top spot in the AL West.

Quick Quiz Answer ... Ron Cey had 29 RBIs in April 1977. He finished the season with 30 homers, 110 RBIs and a .241 average.

Readers Write

You can’t fire the players, but …

Dear Jeff,

The young players — Stott, Bohm and even Marsh — have not excelled at the plate, although Marsh is a bit better right now. There is no plate discipline, and the majority of the time the hitters are down 0-2 or 1-2 and then swing at pitches in the dirt or off the plate.

Melissa Hager

Lehighton

Dear Jeff,

They had to try something. The players have to get their heads out of their asses and start to play some baseball as we know they can. It is a terrible start to the season. If this continues, there should be a fire sale.

Jim Bechtel

Pen Argyl

Dear Jeff,

It’s not the manager’s fault. The players can’t hit, just like last year.

Ray Bungle

Tamaqua

Donnie Baseball

Dear Jeff,

Yes, they needed to fire Thomson. They needed to hire Mattingly.

Tyler Scheuer

Newtown

Clip Cora

Dear Jeff,

The Phillies can’t hire Cora. NOOO!!

John Knebles

Philadelphia

A Northern Lehigh Legend

Dear Jeff,

Thank you, Jeff, for the nice piece about me (April 20 column). I especially liked the use of the words “standout” and “legend.” You brightened my day. Keep up the good work.

Frank Carazo

Palmerton

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

Tyler Harris was a stellar second baseman and pitcher for Lehighton. He was an All-Conference second baseman as a freshman and senior, and an honorable mention choice as a sophomore.

Harris continued his career at DeSales University, where he was a pitcher. In his freshman season, Harris made a team-high 20 appearances and posted a 2-0 record with a 2.63 ERA and three saves in 27.1 innings.

During his sophomore season, Harris appeared in 14 games out of the bullpen and recorded one save with a 6.43 ERA in 14 innings. Harris made six relief appearances as a junior, and eight as a senior.

Sho-low ... After his six-inning stint and fifth start Tuesday, the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani lowered his MLB-leading ERA to 0.60, the lowest for a Dodger after five starts since Fernando Valenzuela’s 0.21 in 1985.

Ohtani has struck out 34 and walked nine in 30 innings.

Keep The Faith ... As they say, there is plenty of time for the Phillies this season. Colleague Rod Heckman pointed out that the Phils currently are only six games out of the final Wild Card spot.

Diamond Dust ... In each column, I will look back at a former player, manager or game situation from our favorite pastime.

In keeping with the theme, Green replaced Danny Ozark as Phils manager on Aug. 31. Ozark had a 65-67-1 record, and Green went 19-11.

One unique part of the ’79 season was a 2-2 tie in St. Louis on April 8. The game was called after five innings. Bob Boone had a solo homer and drove in both runs. Nino Espinosa and Bob Forsch each threw all five innings.

Your thoughts are always welcome and will be published. Email them to tnsports@tnonline.com.