The Philadelphia Phillies made a change to their lineup ahead of the series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Philadelphia is looking to take three of four against the Pirates on Thursday in the series finale. Ahead of the series finale, the Phillies changed up their lineup as starting catcher J.T. Realmuto is getting a day off.
The Phillies’ lineup on Thursday is as follows:
- T. Turner SS
- K. Schwarber DH
- B. Harper 1B
- B. Marsh LF
- A. Bohm 3B
- B. Stott 2B
- G. Rincones Jr. RF
- J. Crawford CF
- R. Marchán C
Instead of Realmuto, the Phillies are set to start Rafael Marchan at catcher for the series finale, with Alan Rangel on the mound.
Marchan is hitting .115 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs this season in 78 at-bats as he’s struggled this season.
Realmuto, meanwhile, is hitting .201 with 5 home runs and 25 RBIs. He signed a three-year, $45 million contract extension this offseason.
Phillies Tag Paul Skenes
Philadelphia picked up a 10-6 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday as the Pirates tagged Paul Skenes for a career-high eight runs in four innings.
It was an offensive clinic from Philadelphia, and Trea Turner believes it shows how good their team is.
“I think we’ve got a good team,” Turner said. “Sometimes there’s no explanation, but I think we’ve got a good lineup.”
Interim manager Don Mattingly, meanwhile, felt like the offense isn’t scared of who is pitching and is confident they can have success no matter what.
“Our club’s not really afraid of anybody,” Mattingly said. “So it doesn’t matter who the guy is.”
Philadelphia has turned its season around and is now close to taking over the top spot in the NL East.
“We always thought we were capable of it,” Turner said. “We need to show it, but it’s been an extended period of time now, where we’ve been putting up a lot more runs. We’re a lot more dangerous. It feels more than just Kyle [Schwarber], Bryce [Harper] and [Brandon] Marsh kind of doing everything. You know? It’s nice to have the other six guys contributing in the lineup.”
The Phillies are 49-38 and 2.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves for the top spot.
Philadelphia Will be a Buyer Ahead of Deadline
The Phillies have turned their season around and will be buyers ahead of the deadline.
Ahead of the August 3 trade deadline, the Phillies will be active and are looking to add an impact bat, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
“Adolis García is done for the season, leaving a vacancy in right field for the Phillies – not that the former ALCS MVP was having much of a season, anyway (.599 OPS). Philadelphia’s .596 OPS from its right fielders ranks 14th in the NL, and while Derek Hill is off to a hot start since being acquired from the White Sox,” Feinsand wrote.
“The Phillies are still struggling to get consistent production out of Justin Crawford or Gabriel Rincones Jr. With Brandon Marsh (who can play all over the outfield) representing the only proven option on the roster, adding a veteran bat would provide a lift to the lineup.”
The Phillies will begin a three-game road series against the Kansas City Royals beginning on Saturday.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Phillies Make J.T. Realmuto Change Before Pirates Series Finale appeared first on HEAVY.