Facing elimination, Rob Thomson makes some tweaks to Phillies’ lineup for Game 4
NEW YORK — With the Phillies looking to avoid being eliminated by the New York Mets Wednesday evening, manager Rob Thomson made some tweaks to the starting lineup for Game 4 against lefty Jose Quintana.
Bryson Stott is back in the lineup at second base over Edmundo Sosa, despite a lefty being on the mound to start for the Mets. Thomson said “Stott’s always been able to hit lefties.”
Brandon Marsh will start in center field, despite his well-documented struggles against left-handed pitching this season and for the bulk of his career. Thomson, though, pointed to improved results late in the season for Marsh against lefties as his reasoning for him getting the start over Johan Rojas.
Weston Wilson being in left field over Austin Hays is the most notable change. Wilson hit .341 in 44 at-bats against lefties this season. The Phillies liked the at-bats that Wilson put against Quintana during the London Series in June.
As for Hays, he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Game 3. Thomson said “in Hays’ defense, he hasn’t had a whole lot of reps. He looked like his timing was off last night. We’re going to do a lot of work.”