The Phillies are heading into Sunday’s series finale in Seattle with no lineup shakeup at all, even after dropping the first two games of the set.
That’s the notable part. Philadelphia came into the three-game matchup on a nine-game winning streak and had spent the first half of the season digging out of a rough stretch that knocked them out of a Wild Card spot in the National League. Now, with a little more breathing room, they’ve given some of that back on the opening two stops of a nine-game road trip.
Jesus Luzardo is set to start the finale against Bryan Woo, and interim manager Don Mattingly is rolling out the same basic order that has been in place throughout the series. The only real tweak came in Game 2, when Garrett Stubbs started at catcher and hit ninth.
In Games 1 and 3, J.T. Realmuto is behind the plate and batting eighth.
Mattingly is still keeping Kyle Schwarber at designated hitter and Trea Turner in the No. 2 spot. That top of the order looked fine on paper when the series began, especially with Philadelphia coming in hot, but the results have been rough.
Schwarber is 0-for-7 with a walk and three strikeouts against the Mariners. Turner has gone 0-for-4 in three straight games with four strikeouts. When the first two hitters in the lineup can barely get on base, the whole offense can bog down fast, and that’s exactly what has happened here.
Bryce Harper has done his part anyway. Batting third and playing right field, he has multiple hits in three straight games and has now reached base in 28 straight games. The last time he didn’t get on base was July 25.
Luis Arraez is hitting cleanup and has started to settle in after an 0-for-17 stretch earlier in his Phillies tenure. Alec Bohm, who has been scorching since the All-Star break, stays in the fifth spot at first base.
Bryson Stott is at third base and batting sixth, Brandon Marsh is in left field and hitting seventh, and Realmuto is eighth. Justin Crawford rounds out the order in center field, batting ninth.
Turner’s place near the top is worth watching. He is still there, but the production hasn’t matched the assignment, and he is also carrying the most errors in MLB with 20.
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