The Philadelphia Phillies are making a lineup change for Sunday’s Game 2 of their National League Division Series versus the New York Mets. Alec Bohm is out of the starting lineup and Edmundo Sosa is in at third base against Mets starter Luis Severino.
Bohm was an NL All-Star this season, batting .280 with a .779 OPS, 44 doubles, 15 home runs and 97 RBI.
He has been struggling. Bohm went 0-for-4 in Saturday’s Game 1 loss to the Mets, seeing only seven pitches. In September, he batted .170 (8-for-47) with a .502 OPS.
Sosa batted .191 with a .504 OPS against right-handed pitching this season, and .154 (4-for-26) in September, which makes this move curious. But Phillies manager Rob Thomson thinks a shakeup is necessary.
“He’s kind of our energy guy,” Thomson said in reference to Sosa. “Bohm’s not swinging the bat particularly well, but he’s not the only one. He’s frustrated. But I just wanted to get Sosa in there.”
Sosa will bat eighth in Sunday’s lineup.
“He goes out there, and he runs around,” Thomson added. “And I think he energizes other people as well, and that’s what we need.”
As Thomson pointed out while talking to reporters Sunday, Bohm is not the only Phillies hitter having issues. Philadelphia managed only two runs and five hits in Game 1’s 6–2 loss.
The decision isn’t necessarily a question of matchups. Bohm is 0-for-3 in his career against Severino, while Sosa has never faced him. In two starts versus the Phillies this season, Severino compiled a 4.50 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 12 innings.
Bohm is expected to start Game 3 against Mets left-hander Sean Manaea. He has two hits in nine at-bats with two strikeouts, a home run and two RBI in that matchup.
