The Philadelphia Phillies have had an up-and-down couple of weeks. It started when Phillies manager Rob Thomson made the decision to sit out former All-Star Nick Castellanos for a game because of comments made off the field. The latest chapter in a dramatic season went down on Friday against the Cincinnati Reds.

With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and bases loaded, Philadelphia third baseman Alec Bohm stepped in. Facing a 2-2 count, Bohm took a fastball from Reds reliever Tony Santillan that was called a strike. Bohm was irate with the call and threw his bat on the ground in disgust. That play ended up being decisive in the 9-6 Phillies loss.

During Thomson’s postgame press conference, a reporter asked him what he thought about the call. The veteran manager gave a simple answer, agreeing with the umpire.

Thomson is a manager that often defends his players and his team. Earlier this season, the Philadelphia manager accused New York Mets reliever Edwin Diaz of faking an injury. However, the past two weeks have proven that he will not blindly agree with his players, especially when they are wrong.

Friday’s loss is the second in the last three games for the Phillies. After the Mets defeated the New York Yankees in their series opener, Philadelphia holds a half game lead in the National League East. Both teams have been fighting for the top spot in the division for the majority of the season.

While the Phillies continue to be mostly dominant, their recent stretch is cause for concern. They are 4-6 in their last ten games and their offense has started to become a problem. Philadelphia has not scored more than five runs in a game since June 27.

Regardless of what Bohm thinks about the called strike against him, Thomson needs him to be better at the plate. If the Phillies can figure out their offense, they have just as good a chance to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL playoffs as anyone.