Gabe Kapler’s hot seat hotter than ever with Phillies

After another embarrassing loss to the Atlanta Braves by the Philadelphia Phillies, Gabe Kapler’s hot seat should be hotter than ever.

Over the last few months, one of the biggest topics of discussion in the City of Brotherly Love has been whether the Philadelphia Phillies are making a mistake by hanging on to Gabe Kapler as their manager.

While the argument can be made that Kaper deserved some benefit of the doubt since he was still learning how to be an effective manager for the Phillies, this team is loaded with too much talent to let go to waste.

From signing Bryce Harper to a hefty deal this offseason to young players such as Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins getting better with experience, expectations were rightfully high for Philadelphia heading into their second season under Kapler.

At the beginning of the season, the Phillies seemed to be living up to the hype by showing they did in fact have what it takes to be a serious contender in the National League.

But with the team currently sitting in third place in the NL East, panic mode is beginning to sink in for Philadelphia since if they do come up short of the playoffs, one can only imagine what could be in store during the offseason, especially with Kapler.

Sure, the argument can be made that Philadelphia is only one-game back of a Wild Card spot in the NL playoff picture, but also watching them trail the Atlanta Braves by 7.5 games was the last thing anyone expected to see in 2019.

Even with this weekend’s key series against their rivals, the Phillies were in the perfect position to gain some ground on the Braves, Philadelphia came up way short during the first two games by losing 9-2 on Friday and 15-7 Saturday.

Clearly, this Phillies team has a lot to work on during the final two months of the regular season before playoff baseball arrives if they’re going to have any shot at competing in October. And if they do miss out on the playoffs, chances are Kapler will be looking for a new job in 2020.

For the sake of the Phillies, here’s to hoping the team finds a way to turn things around over these final two months to make up for some of the struggles they’ve been dealing with this season.

Otherwise, it’s going to be a long offseason in Philadelphia that could determine Kapler’s fate with the team, whether it sounds fare or not.