Lineup changes for Game 3 as Phillies-Mets NLDS moves to New York? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Nick Castellanos was the standout hero on Sunday with his fifth walk-off of the year and the Phillies’ 11th, but that might not even have been the biggest hit of Game 2 of the NLDS.
Bryson Stott’s two-out, two-strike, two-run triple down one in the eighth, Bryce Harper and Castellanos after a walk and single, put the Phillies ahead and in terms of win probability increased their chances of victory by 43% , Game 2’s most impactful single event.
It was the kind of adversity Stott has been looking for all season and may have helped wipe away months of frustration, but there’s a good chance he’ll be on the bench alongside Brandon Marsh to start Game 3 on Tuesday at Citi Field .
The Phillies will face left-handed starter Sean Manaea as the series shifts to New York. Manaea, a future free agent, had a career year going 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 184 strikeouts in 181⅔ innings.
Manaea has always been tough against lefties and that has only been amplified since a mid-season change to his delivery. He’s now even more of a sidearmer and as such has been hugely successful. After making the change in late July, he led the Mets to 10 wins in his next 11 starts, pitching to a 2.63 ERA.
He faced the Phillies in the 2022 NLDS with the Padres and got blown up, allowing five runs and six baserunners while facing just nine batters. Although that was a different version of Manaea. He has faced them three times this season, giving up one run over six innings in May, six in 3⅔ in June and three over seven innings in September.
Stott is 3-for-7 with a homer and two walks for the life against Manaea. Marsh is 0-for-3.
Manager Rob Thomson said “we’ll see” on Monday when asked if there would be any lineup changes against a left-handed starter in Game 3. Stott and Marsh started the first two games vs. Kodai Senga and Luis Severino. The Phillies routinely put them up this season when facing a lefty and have likely had a plan in place since the series began with Edmundo Sosa at second base and Austin Hays in left field against Mets’ lefties, Manaea and Game 4 starter Jose Quintana .
If this were July, perhaps there would be more focus on starting Stott after a big blow to maintain his long-term confidence, and Thomson may well consider this. But every plate appearance in the playoffs matters, and being benched the first two times in the order doesn’t mean Stott or Marsh will be relegated there for the entire game. They would be in as soon as Manaea leaves.
“I’m just giving the guys a heads up that we might be hitting the road a little bit earlier than normal so they don’t get surprised,” Thomson said before Game 1. “We have to be ready a little bit earlier than normal.”
Sosa has had a lot of success against Manaea, going 4-for-8 with a double, triple and homer. He goes 3-for-9 with a double off Quintana.
Hays goes 2-for-3 with a homer off Manaea and doubled in his only at-bat vs. Quintana.
Hays is here for his ability to hit lefties and Sosa is here for his defensive versatility. Not using it in Games 3 or 4 would go against the philosophy the Phillies have espoused for the past three years.
Bohm back in
Alec Bohm will be back in the lineup at third base after being benched to start Game 2. He is 2-for-31 dating back to the regular season and has shown his frustration in the game by hitting his helmet more than the Phillies would like. . They’ve talked to him about it and clearly don’t like the negative energy it creates. Tellingly, Thomson continued to use the word energy pregame Sunday when asked why he went with Sosa over Bohm.
“Oh yeah, he’s playing tomorrow,” Thomson said of Bohm. “I think he’s in a good place.”
They need him. Despite the late-season slump, Bohm hit .301 with runners in scoring position and .303 on the road, the Phillies’ top hitter far away from Citizens Bank Park. He is a big reason why they have won 95 games and a return to form will be crucial in facilitating the ten games that matter most.
“Sometimes this game is brutal,” Bohm said Monday. “I guess all I can do is keep going, keep putting my best foot forward and play the best defense I can. Eventually I’m going to get there. I’m going to start hitting, and it will come.” soon.
“Trust can be an individual thing, but it can also be a group thing. So get lost a little bit within the team. I think as I walk there, it gets closer and closer.”
