Some will call it desperation. Others will call it accountability. Either way it’s a move the Phillies had to make.
When Rob Thomson posted the Phillies lineup for Game 2 of the NLDS against the New York Mets, a certain All-Star was not included.
Edmundo Sosa gets the start at third base for Game 2.
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Alec Bohm was benched for Edmundo Sosa. It was a surprise as Sosa doesn’t particularly hit righties well, but considering how Bohm has been swinging the bat lately, it’s understandable.
Thomson said Bohm would be back in the lineup Tuesday for Game 3 - which will be against a lefty.
But he doesn’t care if people think it’s a panic move.
“I really don’t worry about what other people see or think,” Thomson said. “I worry about doing what I think is best for our ball club on a daily basis.”
Bohm was 0-for-4 in Game 1. But it wasn’t just the fact that he didn’t hit. It was how his plate appearances played out.
Combine that with how Bohm has looked in general since coming back from his hand injury, and even longer than that dating back to mid-August, the Phillies reached a tipping point where they needed to make some sort of change.
In the 12 games since coming back from a left hand strain that ended the season, Bohm slashed .170/.204/.298 with a .502 OPS.
But Bohm’s struggles go back much further than that injury.
If you go back to Aug. 16, which was 12 games before the injury, Bohm has slashed .196/.229/.272 for an OPS of .501 in 24 games.
“Bohm has not been swinging the bat very well,” Thomson said. “But he’s not the only one. He’s frustrated, but I wanted to get Sosa in the lineup.”
Rob Thomson explains the decision to start Edmundo Sosa over Alec Bohm at third base in Game 2 @PhilliesNation @OnPattison pic.twitter.com/FqXuaN0lKs
Fast forward to Saturday.
In his first at-bat, he popped out on a 1-0 fastball from Kodai Senga with a runner on base.
His next time up, he swung first pitch at a center-cut fastball from David Peterson and pounded it into the ground, bouncing out to second base.
In the bottom of the sixth, he swung at a 1-0 sinker from Reed Garrett that was in on his fists and bounced out to third base.
The coup de gras was his final at bat, with the Phillies trying to cut into the Mets 5-1 lead. Bohm came to the plate with two men on and two out against Phil Maton, who has been struggling a bit for the Mets. Batting with runners in scoring position is a spot Bohm thrived in for most of the season.
The first two pitches were cutters right over the plate. He fouled off one and swung through the next one. He fouled off two more pitches out of the zone, took a noncompetitive sweeper for a ball, and then topped a pitch up and out of the zone and hit a weak grounder to third.
Bohm also showed his frustration visibly by slamming his helmet to the ground. You may remember, it's something the Phillies have had to talk to him about before. He let his frustration at the plate carry over onto the field in Kansas City in August, and forgot how many outs there were in the bottom of the first. Thomson took Bohm down the tunnel and had a harsh word or two with him about it.
Thomson called Sosa an “energy guy” and feels he will provide a boost, not just to the lineup, but to his teammates as well.
“He goes out there and he runs around, Thomson said. “I think he energizes other people as well, that’s what we need.”
