The Phillies are rolling, and Bryson Stott has quietly become one of the biggest reasons why.
Philadelphia beat the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night to run its winning streak to seven games, and the surge has been fueled by a team that suddenly looks locked in on both sides of the ball. The pitching has steadied, the offense is coming through, and the club is starting to look like the complete group it hoped to be when the second half began.
A big part of that has been the work of Stott. The young infielder has put together a strong season overall, and his recent stretch has made him impossible to ignore. Even after the Phillies reshuffled their infield at the trade deadline, he has kept producing.
That shuffle was a major one. After Philadelphia acquired Luis Arraez, the team changed its defensive setup, with Stott moving to third base, Alec Bohm shifting to first base, and Bryce Harper heading to the outfield. It was a bold call, but one that has fit into the team’s recent run of success.
Stott has handled the move well defensively, but it’s his bat that has really stood out. In August, he is hitting .317/.476/.429 with one home run and 10 RBI. He also turned in strong months in June and July, but this month has been his best yet, with an OPS over .900.
That kind of production changes the look of the lineup. When Stott is going well, Philadelphia’s offense feels deeper and more dangerous, and that matters even more as the stretch run approaches. If he keeps hitting like he has over the past couple of months, the Phillies will like their chances.
In Other News...
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Don Mattinglys Trea Turner Read Should Grab Phillies Fans Attention
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For the Phillies, sitting at 72-58 and holding second place in the NL East, Turners bat remains one of the lineups biggest swing factors as the stretch run tightens. Mattinglys comments should stand out to fans because they speak to more than one game - they touch on the larger question of whether Turner can keep settling in and deliver the kind of production Philadelphia needs once the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]