Tuesday night’s game featured a new look lineup out of necessity, as Trea Turner was still sore from getting hit by a pitch Monday night and did not play. So, the lineup featured Brandon Marsh leading off and Kyle Schwarber hitting second while playing first base.
Needless to say, the lineup worked well that night, as it totaled 8 runs on 6 hits including home runs from Marsh, Schwarber, and Alec Bohm. Marsh in particular stood out in his first time leading off this year, going 1-3 with a two-run
homer, a walk, and a stolen base. It’s not an ideal lineup, as Marsh leading off meant that there were three consecutive left-handers at the top of the lineup in Marsh, Schwarber, and Bryce Harper. It likely won’t be able to happen against left-handed starters and it’s a potential liability late in games when teams can deploy lefties out of the bullpen, but it might be the best 1-2-3 the Phillies can field right now considering Turner’s struggles.
In a perfect world, Turner is hitting either first or second and helping to break up the run of left-handers. But he’s been one of the worst hitters in baseball whereas Marsh has been one of the best. Turner’s injury offered a glimpse into what a shift in the lineup could look like, and in one sample it was a rousing success. But when Turner returned on Wednesday, he went back to hitting leadoff and collected three hits, his first multi-hit game since June 7th.
Clearly, the Phillies and Don Mattingly prefer Marsh hitting behind Harper deeper in the lineup. Still, it’s hard to ignore that Marsh is better suited for leadoff right now than Turner. So, should the Phillies hit Brandon Marsh leadoff more?
