Opening Day was a mixed bag for Phillies lefties versus lefties

WASHINGTON — Kyle Schwarber kicked off an incredible season against left-handed pitching last year with a home run off the eventual National League Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale. By the end of May, Schwarber had a .337 batting average against lefties — and a .177 average against righties. The numbers evened out in the end, but some of his teammates at the time joked that he belonged in a platoon. He finished the year with a .300 batting average and an .898 OPS against lefties.

For Schwarber, repeating that success is going to be a challenge. It’s only day one, but he’s off to a good start. He was the only Phillies batter to record a base hit against left-handed starter MacKenzie Gore, who struck out 13 in six innings. Washington later brought in lefty Jose A. Ferrer to face Schwarber with two outs and the game tied in the seventh. He ambushed an inside fastball and deposited it into the first row in right field to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead. Both hits came on the first pitch.

“If they’re going to make that move, it’s just trying to figure out where you want the pitch to be and go from there,” Schwarber said. “I got the pitch I wanted on pitch one, and I was able to put a good swing on it and sneak it out.”

Schwarber and Bryce Harper were among the class of the league among lefties facing lefties last season. Only Juan Soto and Yordan Alvarez had a higher left-on-left on-base percentage in 2024 than Schwarber. Harper was just behind those two in OPS.

The Nationals on Thursday tried to play what conventional wisdom says is the optimal matchup with a lefty reliever on Schwarber. The numbers might suggest that there is minimal advantage to be had.

“The lefty thing, you gotta be good because you know that they’re going to bring in lefties,” Schwarber said. “They’re going to bring in some leverage lefties at points in the game to try to match up. You want to make sure when you’re in that situation, you don’t feel like you’re behind there.”

Opposing teams may find other parts of Philadelphia’s lineup easier to match up against. Rob Thomson’s first batting order of the season featured his preferred right-left-right configuration, with Trea Turner leading off, Harper hitting second, Bohm third and Schwarber in the clean up spot. That is expected to be the Phillies’ lineup against left-handed starters, with Schwarber returning to the leadoff spot against righties.

Thomson is also committed to keeping the personnel consistent, at least early on. Two lefties will have to hit back-to-back somewhere. For now, that’s at the bottom of the order with Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh.

The at-bats from both players did not inspire a ton of confidence. The two were a combined 0-for-8 with six strikeouts. Stott could not deliver with the bases loaded and two away in the top of the ninth. Marsh, who struck out four times, had a brutal day. In the eighth, Marsh got ahead of the lefty Ferrer 2-0 as he tried to put on a safety squeeze. He received a pitch clock violation for strike one, then took two more strikes in the zone for his third punch out of the day.

In his next at-bat in extras facing another lefty in Colin Poche, Marsh squared up again to bunt the runner on second over. The at-bat ended with a strikeout looking on a fastball over the middle of the plate. The Phillies later scored four runs in the inning. Both Alec Bohm and J.T. Realmuto drove in a pair with the matchup in their favor.

The Phillies have promised Marsh time to establish himself as an everyday player. One bad game will not lead to a change of plans. Stott still has a lot to prove after a tough 2024 season. The day after Opening Day is the time for overreactions.

“You just wipe it away,” Schwarber said. “It was just one of those days. It’s day one. We gotta win. That’s all that matters. I’m not worried about our guys.”