This week, we asked you the question about what kind of grade you would give Don Mattingly on the job he’s done this season. You answered.
It’s pretty funny that both times the team has made a managerial change in the early part of the season, the team has gone on a run and gotten themselves right. There hasn’t been much he has had to do in his tenure so far since a lot of the team’s improvement has been the players simply playing better.
It doesn’t hurt that his arrival as manager almost perfectly
coincided with the return of Zack Wheeler from the injured list.
There is still a lot of questions to ask about what Mattingly will ultimately do differently when the chips are down. He’s clearly not afraid to use Jhoan Duran often, but what about in the dog days of summer? Will he start to save some bullets for a possible postseason run? One thing Mattingly did do differently was sit down Alec Bohm for a few days when he was struggling. Will Mattingly do the same with players like Trea Turner or J.T. Realmuto, players with a bit more cash in the bank account?
So far, though, he has done a fine job. No complaints about it.
