Brandon Marsh has been one of the Phillies' more productive hitters over the last two weeks, the team is slumping offensively, and as a result, he found himself in the lineup Tuesday night despite the Dodgers starting left-hander Clayton Kershaw.
Marsh was out of the Phillies' starting lineup in 17 straight games against a lefty starter (excluding openers) from May 17 through July 28, when he started against Cleveland's Joey Cantillo. He went 1-for-4 that night, grounding out and singling off Cantillo.
Manager Rob Thomson hit Marsh eighth in center field against Kershaw. Fellow lefty Bryson Stott did sit with Edmundo Sosa starting at second base.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Marsh has gone 9-for-34 over the last nine games with a triple, two homers and seven RBI. The Phillies need all the offense they can get and it's why Marsh started Tuesday night over Johan Rojas. Bryce Harper is 11-for-his-last-71. Trea Turner is 9-for-his-last-61. J.T. Realmuto has hit .205 without an extra-base hit since returning from the injured list.
Marsh will dictate how many reps he gets against lefties with his performance. The opportunity to earn additional playing time is there because the Phillies began a stretch Tuesday night of facing five projected left-handed starters over a 10-game span: Kershaw, Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez, Mitchell Parker and Patrick Corbin.
It's also an opportunity for Marsh to find a rhythm against lefties ahead of the playoffs to stave off Rojas for at-bats.
Stott, meanwhile, has seen his playing time reduced against lefties. The last left-handed starter he faced, excluding openers, was Max Fried on July 5. Since then, he's sat when the Phillies faced Hogan Harris, Martin Perez, Marco Gonzales, Cantillo, Nestor Cortes and Kershaw.
Philadelphia Phillies
Thomson has consistently referred to Stott as an everyday player but the second baseman's production has fallen off from 2023 to 2024 and Sosa has hit enough when given the opportunity. Part of the Phillies' decision-making also has to do with getting Sosa the requisite at-bats to keep him fresh.
Stott still has a well-rounded skill set and can help in multiple ways — with contact, defense, speed and baserunning instincts — but his plate selection comes and goes and that doesn't just affect walk totals, it affects the quality of contact he makes. He'll be back in there Wednesday night for the series finale at Dodger Stadium against right-hander Gavin Stone.