Phillies notes: Lineup change in the middle; latest on Zack Wheeler's timetable originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
With his team’s run-scoring drought sitting at 20 innings, Phillies manager Rob Thomson tweaked the middle of his lineup for Friday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park.
Thomson kept the top three spots in the order – Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper — the same as they had been in the first 12 games of the season, but moved Brandon Marsh up to the cleanup spot while dropping Alec Bohm, who had batted cleanup in the first 12 games, to seventh.
Using Marsh in the cleanup spot behind Schwarber and Harper and ahead of No. 5 hitter Bryson Stott gave the Phillies four left-handed bats in a row, a rare construction that Thomson was willing to deploy because the Diamondbacks do not have a left-hander in their bullpen and were starting a right-hander, Michael Soroka.
The Diamondbacks project to start three right-handers in the series, so Thomson could stick with the lefty-heavy middle of the order through the weekend.
“They don’t have a lefty in their ‘pen so we just stacked our lefties all together at the top,” Thomson said.
Marsh had 54 previous plate appearances and a .901 OPS in the four-hole in his career. He has been one of the Phillies’ most consistent hitters for almost a year. He entered Friday night’s game hitting .300 with an .825 OPS in 127 games since May 1. In 12 games this season, he was hitting .275 with a .727 OPS. He had three doubles, a homer and six RBIs.
Bohm belted a three-run home run on opening day but has otherwise struggled in the young season. He entered Friday night hitting .186 (8 for 43) with just two extra-base hits.
Without big power, Bohm is more suited to hit around sixth or seventh in a lineup. Preferring to use Schwarber and Harper near the top of the lineup leaves Thomson without a traditional cleanup option. Bohm often gets the call because of his ability to make contact. Thomson hopes the lineup move will get Bohm untracked.
“I just want him to be himself and use the whole field,” Thomson said.
That goes for the whole team.
“Guys are trying to do too much, swinging early in the count,” Thomson said. “We want them to work counts, work over pitches, chew up pitches, use the whole field, just keep moving the line.”
WHEELER’S TIMETABLE
Zack Wheeler will make his fourth minor-league rehab start Tuesday night for Double A Reading at Somerset.
He could make a fifth rehab start on Sunday April 19, if need be.
“He doesn’t have to have (the fifth start),” Thomson said. “But he’ll have time on the clock so we might take advantage of it if we can.”
Thomson added, “We’ll look at his stuff, his velocity, see how he feels. We’ll look at the command, all that stuff,” in determining if Wheeler will make one or two more minor-league starts.
Either way, the right-hander is nearing his return to the big-league rotation. Sometime during the Phils’ trip to Chicago and Atlanta (April 20-26) seems likely, unless Sunday April 19 comes into play at home.
Wheeler pitched 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball for Lehigh Valley on Wednesday night. He scattered three hits, walked one and struck out six.
“He touched 94 (mph) a few times, which is good,” Thomson said. “I think that’s pretty much normal for him this time of spring training. I’m not really concerned about (the velocity). I think it’s still going to go up. Adrenaline will kick in when he gets here and that will help. He’s still building some arm strength.”
