When they began their weekend series with the Yankees Friday, the Phillies had a 56-47 record.

Since he took over for Rob Thomson on April 28 when the team had a 9-19 record, Don Mattingly has compiled a 47-28 record. We have seen that stat over and over.

But it does have plenty of merit to keep mentioning.

Since May 1, the Brewers (47-23) and the Dodgers (45-27) have been the only teams in their range.

Which brings us to the question of interim manager Mattingly. Or should one of two former Phillies managers be brought back? (Hint: One is active in the dugout and the other in the booth. See below.)

Like the above repeated stat about Mattingly, we all had a feeling that Thomson was gone if the team started slowly (Thomson certainly has vanished from the baseball scene).

Initially, Mattingly was going to serve out the season. He knew that former Red Sox field boss Alex Cora was within Dave Dombrowski’s reach of his cell phone.

Now, Mattingly has indicated that he would return to the Phillies dugout for the 2027 season.

Looking at his performance this season, Mattingly has mostly pushed all the right buttons and made the right choices. He has mixed and matched the lineup, and has had the faith in his starters to go at least six innings — and sometimes beyond.

Mattingly has played the hand that Dombrowski has dealt him. He would appear to be a good poker player.

The Phillies’ latest round of base-running gaffs against the Dodgers can’t entirely be pinned on Mattingly, even though he appears to be a fundamentalist.

Overall, the ex-Yankee — who could be in the running for their manager’s job — should get a high mark for his 75-game regular-season showing. We’ll see how the rest of the regular season and the presumed postseason pans out.

Quick Quiz ... Since 1950, who are the other two Phillies’ interim managers with winning records? (Answer below, don’t cheat!)

The Obvious Choice ... It was well known that Cora could have taken over for Thomson before he was fired.

Now Cora will be back in the spotlight again when the season ends, or maybe before if the Phillies collapse.

Cora certainly has the credentials, and is highly regarded as being among the best in the game. Dombrowski was the Red Sox general manager from 2015-19, and he along with Cora led Boston to a World Series title in 2018.

So far, Dombrowski and the Phillies brass have been quiet about next year, at least on the surface.

One fact that isn’t often mentioned in the greater Philly market is interim Red Sox’s manager Chad Tracy’s record since he took over for Cora, who was fired with a 10-17 record on April 26.

Tracy has led Boston to a 42-32 record, and most notably its recent 15-game winning streak.

He now has Boston in the postseason running, but the Red Sox are only one of five teams in the American League (at the time of this writing) with a winning record. The National League has 10 teams that can stake that claim.

Bring Back Tito? ... Despite Cora being the leading candidate if Mattingly doesn’t return, why not take a run at former manager and current Reds boss Terry Francona?

The 67-year-old Francona was hired by the Phils before the 1997 season, and spent four seasons here through the 2000 campaign. Francona’s best season was 77-85 in 1999, and he produced an overall mark of 285-363.

In defense of Francona, it was his first big-league gig, and he didn’t have much talent. Those were the years of Wendell Magee Jr., Desi Relaford, rising rookie Scott Rolen, Matt Beech, and an overrated Gregg Jeffries to name a few of Francona’s pupils.

Francona stunned the baseball world when he took the Cincinnati job in 2025 after he stepped down from Cleveland in 2023 when he battled some health issues.

He took the Reds to an 83-79 mark last season, and they lost to the Dodgers in the postseason.

This season, Francona has a number of young stars, and has kept the Reds in reach of the Central Division crown. He signed a three-year deal that will run through the 2027 season with a club option for 2028.

It was widely reported that native Ohioan Kyle Schwarber would sign a deal with the Reds in the offseason that would have put them over the top. Francona was pushing heavily for Schwarber.

It likely would be hard to pry Francona away from the Reds, but it definitely would be worth taking a look.

Quick Quiz Answer ... John Vukovich took over for Lee Elia in 1998 and went 5-4, and former GM Paul Owens had two winning stints. Owens took over for Frank Lucchesi in 1972 and for Pat Corrales in 1983. Overall, Owens went 161-154 and guided the 1983 team to the World Series.

Dombrowski’s Pumps and Dumps ... One of Dombrowski’s most successful managers — if not the most — was Jim Leyland, who coupled with Dombrowski to win titles with Florida and Detroit. But Leyland — at 81 — isn’t coming back.

Buck Rodgers also had success with Dombrowski in Montreal in the late 1980s, but Rodgers is 88.

Dombrowski also had current Yankees bench coach Brad Ausmus under his wing before Dombrowski was let go in Detroit. With the Tigers, Ausmus went 388-392 in four seasons, but his team reached the postseason in 2014.

Among Dombrowski’s firings over the years have been Rene Lachemann, Marlins, 1996; John Boles, Marlins, 2001; Phil Garner, Tigers, 2002; Alan Trammell, Tigers, 2005; John Farrell, Red Sox, 2017; and Joe Girardi, Phillies, 2022.

Does Girardi get a second look? He supposedly is on the Mets’ list.

We Like Donnie Baseball ... In a recent Times News Sports Facebook poll, 75 percent of voters want Mattingly to be the skipper for 2027. Another 21 percent believed he shouldn’t, and four percent weren’t sure.

Readers Write

He Should Take I-95 North

Dear Jeff,

Mattingly shouldn’t be involved with the Phillies. He should be the Yankees full-time manager.

Steve Tentylo

Thanks For Stopping In

Dear Jeff,

I would love to have him back, but he was hesitant when he took the job. I thought he agreed to stay on for the rest of the season in hopes someone else would take his place next season.

Jim Bechtel

Pen Argyl

Not For Long

Dear Jeff,

I would not be against Mattingly being signed as manager, but the Phillies need to get rid of Long for sure. The Phillies’ plate approach has been awful all year. If Dombrowski can’t make some good moves before the trade deadline, get rid of him too.

Melissa Hager

Lehighton

Bleeding Dodger Blue

Dear Jeff,

It looked like the Phillies saved their best pitchers — Sanchez, Wheeler, and Nola — for the Dodgers’ series. For the Dodgers, there was no Yamamoto or Ohtani (of course, Snell and Glasnow are injured).

My Dodgers have been battling adversity for years and overcoming it. Go Big Blue.

Paul Dallara

Hawley

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will review the career of a former local standout.

Justin Jachowicz had a stellar career at Panther Valley High School before he continued his playing career at Kutztown University.

While at Kutztown, Jachowicz appeared in 47 games and posted a 7-2 record with a 5.08 ERA and recorded a save.

But Jachowicz has found his mark in the Blue Mountain League as a member of the Orioles. He began his career there in 2006 and is still active today, regarded as one of the league’s all-time elite hurlers.

In 178 games, Jachowicz has an overall 89-38 record with 3.71 ERA and 12 saves.

Time Passages ... In each column, I will recall a former player or manager from the diamond.

Do you remember former Phillies’ right-handed reliever and Altoona native Ron Blazier?

The 6-6, 215-pound Blazier spent the 1996 and 1997 seasons with the Phillies, appearing in 63 games with a 4-2 record and 5.68 ERA. Blazier passed away at age 50 in Bellwood in 2021.

Your thoughts, ideas, and comments are always welcomed and will be published; email them to tnsports@tnonline.com.

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