Rob Thomson defends Phillies’ unchanged batting order for Game 7
Alec Bohm, who is 6-for-22 with one extra-base hit in the NLCS, will continue to bat cleanup.
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True to his word, Rob Thomson didn’t make any changes to the Phillies’ lineup in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.
And so, Alec Bohm will continue to bat cleanup.
”I know there’s all kinds of noise about the lineup, but Alec Bohm has the second-highest batting average on the team with runners in scoring position in the playoffs,” Thomson said. “No. 1 is [No. 5 hitter] Bryson Stott.”
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OK, and now for the argument against: Bohm is 6-for-22 with one extra-base hit in the NLCS and 10-for-43 with three extra-base hits overall in the postseason.
The Diamondbacks’ strategy early Game 6 was clear. They weren’t going to let leadoff man Kyle Schwarber or No. 3 hitter Bryce Harper beat them. In the first inning, Arizona starter Merrill Kelly walked Schwarber and Harper and lived to tell about it because he retired Bohm and Stott.
Thomson expects much of the same in Game 7, regardless of how the Phillies structure the batting order.
”They’re going to be careful with them,” Thomson said, “and rightly so.”