Phillies’ Don Mattingly weighs in on intriguing Red Sox tactics after 3-1 win

The Boston Red Sox are one of the worst offenses in MLB right now, and they might have just put their desperation on display for all to see. The Philadelphia Phillies were suspicious of their American League opponent on Thursday night, but they brushed off those concerns and carried on with their business.Following a 3-1 series-clinching road victory, interim manager Don Mattingly was questioned about the Sox's blatant attempts to signal batters from second base. He did not allow himself or his team to get mentally distracted by any perceived sign-stealing. Donnie Baseball is not going to take everything at face value. He has seen too much in this game.“We obviously saw it and been around enough to {know} that some of it's real, some of it's just to make you think they know something,” Mattingly told reporters after the Phils' fourth win in five games, per NBC Sports Philadelphia. “And we've seen a lot of the same motions on different pitches, so it tells you they didn't really feel like they had anything.“You just want to let your pitchers know really that at that point you don't think they have anything, because guys do get bothered if they think they got it. But that's part of the game now…” "Some of it's real. Some of it's just to make you think they know something." Don Mattingly didn't seem worried about Red Sox base runners signaling from second base. pic.twitter.com/bekCLkCEtb — NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 15, 2026One of the most important jobs of a skipper is to keep his players grounded. Mattingly and his coaching staff observed the Red Sox's tactics and then eased their pitchers' concerns by relaying their findings. Whether or not his conclusion was correct ultimately proved to be irrelevant. The Phillies maintained their composure and suffocated an already ailing Boston lineup.Jesus Luzardo threw six shutout innings and closer Jhoan Duran finished off the squad with three strikeouts in the ninth. Kyle Schwarber smashed a 417-foot home run to break a scoreless tie in the eighth, as the National League East ballclub inched its way closer to .500.Don Mattingly showed solid instincts and trusted his guys to thwart any Red Sox comeback attempt. He won the chess game on this night, and subsequently, the Phillies (21-23) enjoyed another stellar performance on the mound. They will look to keep it going versus the Pittsburgh Pirates (24-20) on Friday.The Boston Red Sox are one of the worst offenses in MLB right now, and they might have just put their desperation on display for all to see. The Philadelphia Phillies were suspicious of their American League opponent on Thursday night, but they brushed off those concerns and carried on with their business.