Marquee Manager Target Gone. The Phillies Still Have Six Games to Worry About First.

The managerial search lost its top name, and that's a real problem for the front office — just not the most pressing one on the schedule right now. Philadelphia is 84-71, holding the sixth NL seed, with six games left and a bullpen that has been coming apart at the seams for two weeks. The search can wait. The standings cannot.

What makes the timing awkward is the overlap. A team fighting for its playoff life is also, apparently, conducting front-office business that signals the current dugout situation is already resolved in someone's mind. That's a distraction the clubhouse doesn't need, even if players will say otherwise. The Phillies have six All-Stars on this roster and are averaging 3.2 runs a game over their last ten. The problem isn't the manager's office. The problem is the lineup and a relief corps that has been unreliable when games are close.

The next six games are what they are. Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler give Philadelphia two legitimate starters to lean on. Jesús Luzardo remains on the IL, which means the back of the rotation and the bullpen carry more weight than they should. Orion Kerkering's recent stretch has been a disaster — the kind of collapse that changes how a manager deploys his late-inning options entirely. Tim Mayza has been the steadiest arm out there, which tells you something about where the depth currently stands.

The managerial search will sort itself out. These six games will not wait.