ST. LOUIS – When an offense is going well, it’s typically not because of the nine-hole hitter. When an offense is struggling, it’s typically not because of the nine-hole hitter.
But when the nine-hole hitter is riding an 0-for-26 slump without many competitive at-bats, it’s hard to overlook, even if larger issues exist.
Brandon Marsh is going through it. He’s batting .108 on the season and doesn’t have a hit in the last 11 games he’s played.
The Phillies face a right-handed pitcher in three of their next four games at home against the Giants, but is it time to sit him down for a day?
“I gotta think about that one,” manager Rob Thomson said after Sunday’s 7-0 loss. “He’s really frustrated and understandably.”
Marsh hit .292/.387/.477 against right-handed pitching in 2023. He hit .262/.342/.450 against right-handed pitching in 2024. The Phils want to give him more run this season against lefties, such as in Sunday’s game against Matthew Liberatore, but either way, he’s got to hit righties. He’s 2-for-24 against them to start the year.
Saturday was one of Marsh’s better recent games. He walked and scored a run, then later sacrificed Alec Bohm to second, making it easier for Bohm to score on a single.
Marsh is in the mode right now of trying to do anything he can to have a productive day. Sunday was another rough one. He struck out swinging in his first at-bat on a fastball well above the zone, then chased a couple of sliders to strike out his next time up. His final at-bat of ended on a groundout on a sinker far inside.
He sat and stared into a locker for a while Sunday afternoon, the way so many hitters have before and always will. It’s a hard game that isn’t getting any easier the more pitchers’ arsenals evolve. Marsh has performed before, he’s not now, and it sticks out as much as it does because his season numbers consist of only this slump.
“Yeah, you know…” he said before taking a long pause. “It’s been a rough start to the season for sure. I’m not doing my part, which stinks the worst. Just feel like I’m letting my guys down. I need to be better for them.”
Johan Rojas is the other centerfielder on the roster and is off to a nice start but on an at-bat by at-bat basis isn’t a much better option than Marsh. Justin Crawford is in Triple A, where he started hot before cooling off a bit. If Marsh, who does have minor-league options remaining, continues to struggle, Crawford could become a possibility. But it doesn’t seem like the Phillies are quite there yet. The left-handed-hitting Crawford’s spent a grand total of two weeks at Triple A.
Marsh isn’t the only cold Phillie. Alec Bohm is 5-for-50 since the third day of the season, and though he hit the ball hard for a bulk of that time with some bad luck, he hasn’t done so the last few days.
“It’s tough to struggle but obviously, it’s the big leagues so you’ve got to pull out of it and understand you’re gonna go through ups and downs in the season,” Bryce Harper said. “But just try to stay as even-keeled as you can and always remember it’s not about the name on the back, it’s about the one on the front. We’re trying to win series and no matter what you’re doing, you’ve got to keep rolling. I don’t want to be hitting .250 right now. Just want to win every day. You’ve got to have that mindset and come in and try to win ballgames.”
Sunday’s plane ride home probably wasn’t the most fun one Marsh and Bohm have had as Phillies. They’ve both delivered for this team and been a part of plenty of rallies and big moments, but their successes and failures matter more now than ever before. They’re getting older, they’re getting more expensive, they’re getting closer to free agency and their own improvement will help determine whether an offense that was largely unchanged will be able to take the next step.
“I’ve got to do anything I can to help this ballclub win and right now I’m not doing that,” Marsh said. “So I’ve got to figure some things out.”
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