Phillies Dominate Giants in Shutout Win in Don Mattingly’s First Game as Manager
Apr 28, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) hits an RBI double against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
The Phillies walked into Citizens Bank Park hours after firing their well-liked manager, Rob Thomson, a move that landed hard inside the clubhouse, and walked out with their cleanest win of the season, a 7-0 shutout over the Giants that felt like a team trying to answer it in real time under interim manager Don Mattingly.
That new voice President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, felt was necessary certainly ignited the Phillies early in this game, in the bottom of the fourth inning when the Phils loaded the bases, and Brandon Marsh hit a sacrifice fly scoring Trea Turner, and getting the Phils ahead first. In the sixth inning, the Phillies put four on the board with clutch hitting and added two more runs for insurance, which gave the Phillies their first shutout of the season with a dominant 7-0 win over the Giants.
Mattingly’s First Game at the Helm is a Huge Win
Mattingly recently said that he didn’t want to manage again, but his Phillies managerial debut may change his mind. The Phillies played every aspect of the game well. Looking at Mattingly after Tim Mayza threw the last pitch shows that any pregame jitters melted away. This win was Mattingly’s first win as a Phillies manager and his 890th win as a Major League manager.
This was the cleanest all-around game that the Phillies played all season. This game had the feel of a team that had something to prove, and the way they came out and handled a team that was playing really good baseball coming into the game. The dominant performances by the offense and the entire pitching staff start the Mattingly era off with the first shutout of the season for the Phillies.
This feels a bit like 2022 when Thomson took over for Joe Girardi and turned things around immediately. 2022 was also the last time that Mattingly managed a game in Major League Baseball. That season ended pretty well for the Phils, so we’re off to a good start.
Luzardo Returns to Dominant Form
Jesus Luzardo has wildly struggled all season, and in the first game of this series, he not only returned to the same form he had last season. He was in control of the Giants lineup from the first inning, where he threw six pitches to dispatch the Giants top three hitters. When he did get the Giants to work deeper into counts, he leaned his sweeper to set up his four-seam fastball and sinker. The pitch that he had the most success with was the changeup, which kept all Giants hitters off balance all game.
There was some chatter around baseball that he may have been tipping pitches, especially when there were runners in scoring position, but in this game, either he has made a slight change, or it was just an anomaly. He had runners standing on second twice after giving up doubles to Heliot Ramos and Luis Arraez, which were the only two hits surrendered by Luzardo, but he never allowed those runners to advance. Luzardo became the first Phillies pitcher this season to pitch seven innings. Just to emphasize how important it is to right the ship, the Phillies are a month into the season, and this is the first time. Last season, it happened in the third game of the season. Better late than never.
Phillies Turn to Clutch Hitting to Defeat Giants
In the sixth inning, one of the biggest issues that has been plaguing the Phillies all season seemed to come to a thunderous conclusion. The Phillies scored four runs, and they did it all without the longball. They scored all four runs by hitting with runners in scoring position. It had to feel good for the Phillies players to get back to hitting in pressure situations, and based on the smiles of the players, they were feeling it. Giants starter Tyler Mahle was cruising until the sixth inning.
It all started with a great sign, Turner got a base hit by going with what he was given, then an important walk from Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper doubled home Turner.
Importantly, that set up Adolis Garcia to knock in two runs with a double, and Alec Bohm brought him home on a double. The game went from a pitching duel to a wide-open 5-0 lead for the Phillies. This is when the Phillies are at their best, and at least for one night, they brought it back.
They look to keep it going when they send Cristopher Sanchez against Logan Webb in a matchup of team aces.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible, we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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