MILWAUKEE — Since the Phillies acquired outfielder Harrison Bader at the trade deadline, the question of platooning Bader, Brandon Marsh, Max Kepler and Weston Wilson has been a popular talking point.
Well, now it appears Nick Castellanos can be added to the list.
Manager Rob Thomson created his own deadline for deciding on an “everyday” outfield when Bader was gotten, saying he was going to go six days of platooning before any decision was made. That was back at the end of July and now, the rotation seems as unknown as ever.
Castellanos was out of the lineup again Thursday against the Brewers, despite getting two hits and scoring two runs in Wednesday’s 6-3 loss. Thomson’s outfield Thursday consisted of Marsh in left, Bader in center and Kepler in right. It’s the sixth time Castellanos has not started in the past 18 games.
“Yeah, well, I mean the other three are so hot right now,” Thomson said. “So I was staying with that, to tell you the truth.”
When asked about the platoon back at the trade deadline, Thomson called Castellanos an everyday player. He’s also said that matching up players against opposing pitchers is a big factor in deciding who plays. For his career, Castellanos is 7 for 19 (.368) with four doubles and five RBI against Thursday’s starter Freddy Peralta. For comparison, Bader is 4 for 19 (.211) with a homer, three RBI and eight strikeouts and Marsh 0 for 4.
“Well, it looks that way,” Thomson said on if Castellanos is now part of the platoon. “I mean, you can call it whatever you want, but at this point in the year, I’m going to put out what I think is the best lineup on any given day to win a ballgame. Yeah, there’s still a bit of a rotation, if you want to call it that. If you want to call it a platoon, doesn’t matter to me.”
Since joining the team, Bader has hit .310 with nine extra base hits, nine RBI and 13 runs in the 27 games. Kepler has hit .288 with six extra base hits, nine RBI and 11 runs over his last 14 games and Marsh is hitting .303 over his last 97 games, including 10 for his last 19.
Asked how Castellanos, who is hitting .253 with 16 home runs and 61 RBI, is handling the situation, Thomson said, “Yeah, he hasn’t said a word. He’s been good. I think he’s being a pro and understands that he’s ready to help the club whenever it’s needed.”
Painter update
Top prospect Andrew Painter struggled in his Wednesday outing for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, as he gave up 10 hits, six earned runs, three walks and two home runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. He now has a 5.62 ERA.
“Basically, the same kind of stuff,” Thomson said. “But he did get 17 whiffs, so that was good. The velocity was good. I didn’t see it this time, but just from the report, two walks in the first inning, a walk later on, kind of cruised for a bit. But, you know, it’s just a little bit of inconsistency with fastball command and I think that’s normal.”
Thomson said he hasn’t heard anything about shutting Painter down for the season, his first back from Tommy John surgery.
“There was a time earlier in the year that he was getting frustrated,” Thomson said. “And I’m sure there’s still some frustration there, because he’s always had a lot of success. But I think, overall, he’s handled it well. I know that it’s always good to end a season on a good note, especially in his case.”
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