Struggling Whit Merrifield out of Phillies lineup against left-hander

Whit Merrifield is out of the Phillies lineup on Tuesday amidst a rough beginning to his career in Philadelphia.

While the team signed the utility man in a reserve role, the former All-Star has started a majority of the games against left-handed starting pitchers so far this season. Merrifield is not in the lineup as the Phillies face the Colorado Rockies and lefty Austin Gomber at Citizens Bank Park at 6:40 p.m.

Still, manager Rob Thomson has faith in the 35-year-old’s ability to get going at the plate, explaining that Gomber’s similar splits against left-handed and right-handed batters led him to start the left-handed-hitting Brandon Marsh in left field.

“I have a lot of confidence in him,” Thomson said of Merrifield in the dugout ahead of Tuesday’s matchup. “I mean, he’s a veteran player who’s put up numbers in the past. I think it’s just a matter of time.”

Merrifield is hitting .107/.167/.107 in 31 plate appearances across 10 games with no extra-base hits and no RBIs. The right-handed hitter has started five games in left field, two at third base and one at second base. He went 0-for-3 — but did have a well-executed sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the 10th inning — on Monday night as the Phillies won the series opener against the Rockies, 2-1, in walk-off fashion.

Philadelphia (9-8) is struggling to score early in 2024, ranking dead last in the National League in total runs with 60 through 17 games. The team has been hesitant to expose Marsh to left-handed pitching too often, but the Phillies will let him face that challenge against Gomber, who has a 4.91 ERA in three starts this season.

Marsh has been one of the few bright spots for this Phillies offense to this point. He’s batting .288/.309/.577 with four home runs, a double and a triple in 16 games, despite striking out in 21 of his 55 plate appearances while walking twice. He only has a .536 OPS in 16 plate appearances against left-handers this season, but Thomson has been pleased with Marsh’s approach against them.

“I think he’s staying on the ball a little bit more,” Thomson said. “And his focus is more left-center (field) oriented, and he’s gotta do that. That’s what lefties have to do on lefties, because they’re always going to spin the ball away from you; you really gotta stay on it. So, I think he’s doing a better job of that.”

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