With the National League Division Series tied up at 1-1, the Philadelphia Phillies begin a two-game stretch in New York against the Mets as they look to gain the upper hand. After a strong offensive showing and an electric comeback against the Mets Sunday evening, manager Rob Thomson has made a couple of lineup changes ahead of Tuesday’s 5:08 p.m. start time.
Sosa Starts at Second for Stott
After not appearing in the starting lineup on Sunday, Alec Bohm returns to the lineup on Tuesday, batting fifth for the Phillies. Edmundo Sosa, however, remains in the lineup, this time playing second base in lieu of Bryson Stott.
Per Alex Coffey, Thomson admitted that sitting Stott for Sosa was difficult, but looking at their numbers against Manaea in an albeit limited sample size, Sosa has the edge. Sosa is 4-for-8 with a home run and three RBI against Manaea lifetime while Stott is 2-for-6 with a solo home run and two walks.
Stott did, however, go 2-for-4 on Sunday with a two-RBI triple while Sosa is 0-for-2 thus far in the NLDS. Thomson looked for Sosa to be a sort of spark plug to reignite the Phillies’ offense on Sunday, and while the offense woke up, Sosa played no part.
Hays for Marsh in Left Field
Brandon Marsh has been another quiet spot for the Phillies so far this postseason, going 0-for-8 through two games. Going with the right-handed Hays against the left-handed Manaea makes sense, despite the small sample size Phillies’ have seen of Hays since acquiring him in July.
Against Manaea, historically, Hays is again an upgrade over Marsh as Hays is 2-for-3 lifetime while Marsh is 0-for-3. These are incredibly small samples to work with, but they do feed into Thomson’s predictable trend of utilizing lefty-righty platoons. Likely, once Manaea is out of the game for the Mets, the Phillies will probably bring in one of, if not both, of Stott and Marsh.
Critical Game Three For The Phillies
Winning Sunday’s contest was essential to the Phillies’ survival. While a simple split in New York is all the Phillies require, winning Game Three secures a cushion for the Phillies knowing that Ranger Suarez, who has struggled as of late, will get the ball on Wednesday.
Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
