PHILADELPHIA — Brandon Marsh’s run as an everyday player in the Phillies lineup is over for now.
Marsh is out of the lineup Saturday against New York Yankees left-handed starter Ryan Weathers. The Phillies are once again going with an all right-handed hitting outfield with Edmundo Sosa in left, Derek Hill in center and Bryan De La Cruz in right. Marsh sat against Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Eric Lauer on Wednesday.
The entire outfield, at this point, is a platoon. Like his predecessor Rob Thomson, Don Mattingly isn’t fond of the word “platoon.”
“I don’t know what you want to call it, but we need to be better against lefties,” Mattingly said.
It’s been a tough month of July for Marsh, who is batting .156 with a .479 OPS in 70 plate appearances. It’s his first real rough patch since his hitless April. He is 2-for-19 with a pair of singles and a walk against left-handed pitching this month.
Marsh OPS against lefties by month
- March/April: .418 OPS in 22 plate appearances
- May: .941 OPS in 23 plate appearances
- June: .784 OPS in 44 plate appearances
- July: .255 OPS in 20 plate appearances
“I talked to Brandon about it. Obviously, you have to look at the numbers at some point,” Mattingly said. “It doesn’t matter what I believe, but I do believe that he’s gonna be a guy that can be an everyday guy.”
An All-Star for the first time in his career this year, Marsh is taking the demotion in stride. He’s more worried about team success, not his status as an everyday player.
“I want to win ball games. I want to win a championship,” Marsh said. “I was talking to some of the guys around the All-Star week. I was like, ‘Do you want to be an All-Star or win the World Series?’ And the answer is easy: You want to win the World Series. Being an All-Star is awesome, but the personal accolades only go so far, you know. Winning the World Series would be forever. Not just for me, but for everyone on the field and in the stands and in the city.
“So it’s way bigger than just an All-Star Game. Winning the World Series would be this ultimate goal. If that means having to take a step back and be more of a role player, then that’s what I’m going to be. Or if they need me every single day out there, then I’ll be that as well. I’ll be ready for whatever Donnie needs me to do. That’s kind of the way I look at it. We need to win and if the best chance is with or without me, then so be it. Just gotta roll with whatever we’re doing and just come out with one more run than them tonight.”
The Phillies will likely be in the hunt for an everyday bat in the outfield ahead of the trade deadline. For now, they are going with a triple platoon.
Like Marsh, Bryson Stott escaped the platoon label earlier in the year when Mattingly took over. Stott is in the lineup on Saturday, playing second and batting eighth. He has not had a day off since early June.
Marsh’s overall season numbers are stronger, but Stott has had more success against lefties. Stott struggled badly against righties earlier in the season.
Stott OPS against lefties by month:
- March/April: .800 OPS in 15 plate appearances
- May: .833 OPS in 21 plate appearances
- June: .715 OPS in 29 plate appearances
- July: .739 OPS in 20 plate appearances
“For me, he’s been better than Brandon,” Mattingly said when asked about Stott being an everyday player. “So I like him on the field. In general, we try to play good defense. At this point, we look at us being built on our pitching staff as really what has carried us and we need to catch the ball for them.”
