The Philadelphia Phillies are in a funk this season.
Sitting with a 6-6 record and in the middle of a 20-inning scoreless streak, changes needed to be made.
They were shut out 6-0 and 5-0 in consecutive games against the San Francisco Giants.
The Phillies have made a massive change to their lineup, putting outfielder Brandon Marsh in the cleanup spot, while moving third baseman Alec Bohm to seventh in the order against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Outfielder Adolis Garcia was expected to move up the lineup. However, he will stay at sixth for now.
Why Are the Philadelphia Phillies Putting Marsh Higher in the Lineup?
The Phillies are sending out the following lineup against the Diamondbacks and right-handed starter Michael Soroka on Friday night.
1. Trea Turner, SS
2. Kyle Schwarber, DH
3. Bryce Harper, 1B
4. Brandon Marsh, LF
5. Bryson Stott, 2B
6. Adolis Garcia, RF
7. Alec Bohm, 3B
8. J.T. Realmuto, C
9. Justin Crawford, CF
The top three hitters are set in stone. While having down years so far, Turner and Harper are no-brainers at the top of the lineup.
But why put Marsh at cleanup?
The answer is simple. So far in 2026, Marsh is hitting .275 with a home run and a .727 OPS.
Against lefties, Marsh has just six at-bats and one hit. However, against right-handers like Soroka, he is hitting .294 with a .795 OPS.
This is consistent with his career numbers. While he hits just .212 against left-handers, he hits .276 against right-handers with a .797 OPS.
While this could be temporary, as Marsh does not hit against left-handed pitchers and often platoons, it’s still quite notable.
But while Marsh continues to rise in the order, Bohm will descend to seventh in the order.
After becoming an All-Star in 2024, it has been a roller coaster for Bohm.
In 2025, he had a .741 OPS with 11 home runs, struggling to stay healthy. However, it’s gotten worse this year.
So far in 2026, Bohm has hit .186 with one home run and a .550 OPS. In fact, he’s hitting worse against left-handers than right-handers.
What Else Is Interesting About the Lineup?
Another interesting nugget about the lineup is that there are four consecutive left-handed batters.
Schwarber, Harper, Marsh and Stott are all left-handed. While this strategy likely wouldn’t work against most major league teams, especially those that have an abundance of left-handed pitching, it will work against Arizona.
The Diamondbacks made a shocking decision not to retain any left-handed relievers on the team. Usually, most major league teams will have at least one or two of them on the roster to face lefty batters.
However, the only southpaw on the roster is starter Eduardo Rodriguez, who won’t face the Phillies this series.
Because of that, the Philadelphia Phillies can run wild with this lefty lineup with practically no consequences.
With only right-handers set to pitch during Friday’s game and this series, expect Marsh and other lefties to be high in the order.
It’s an interesting strategy from manager Rob Thomson. With the struggles from the offense, it’s absolutely worth a shot.
The Phillies will try to end this scoreless stretch early in the game Friday night.
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