PHILADELPHIA — Brandon Marsh took the field at Citizens Bank Park for early batting practice, searching for a better feeling in the batter’s box with a brutal 0-for-26 stretch at the plate hanging over his head.
The outfielder will not be in the lineup as the Phillies open a four-game series with the Giants on Monday to start off a seven-game homestand. Manager Rob Thomson will give him a chance to reset. Marsh believes he’ll need to work to find better results moving forward.
“I gotta grind,” Marsh said. “Get back on track. Today was a good day. We just got to keep stacking.”
The month of April has not been kind to Marsh. He hasn’t recorded a hit since March 30, and he’s now batting .108 on the season. Johan Rojas will start in center field on Monday. Marsh could be on the bench for two or three days.
“Just to give him a blow,” Thomson said, “a mental, physical blow. He’s thinking about it quite a bit right now.”
Thomson noticed that the typically upbeat Marsh was taking his poor performance hard. He’s been wearing the struggles and the failure. The manager is known for his steady hand, but he felt that it was time for Marsh to sit out and regroup.
“He’s really thinking about it,” Thomson said. “He really feels like he’s letting his teammates down. He’s putting a lot of pressure on himself to do well. And when you get to that point, I think it’s time to relax.”
In the meantime, Marsh wants to keep swinging the bat and getting repetitions. He’s sought advice from veterans like Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos and hitting coach Kevin Long. He changed up his routine to “take advantage of my time.” His extra work on Monday was helpful.
“I was really just getting my rhythm back,” Marsh said. “Today was a really, really good day, in the cage, on the field. Looking forward to taking it out there.”
One dreadful slump doesn’t define a player, but the Phillies (9-6) do need more out of that spot. The offense struggled in the club’s recent road trip, getting shut out twice this past weekend in St. Louis. Batters across the order need to produce more. Marsh, one of those hitters, is going to keep pushing in hopes that it helps the Phillies — and himself — in the long run.
“The game is very, very tough,” Marsh said. “It’ll bring you down, break you down and bring you up when you least expect it. So I just got to keep a positive mindset. Just keep your head in the work.”
