Why Phillies are hitting Brandon Marsh cleanup, moving Alec Bohm down

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The Philadelphia Phillies have been going through some struggles this season, especially lately. They were shut out by the San Francisco Giants 6-0 and 5-0 to close out the series, and have been held scoreless for over 20 straight innings.

At 6-6, the Phillies are trying to turn things around against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and they're trying out a new-look lineup with some bold decisions.

The Phillies' announced lineup has Brandon Marsh hitting cleanup, and Alec Bohm at seventh after hitting fourth for a while. Why did the Phillies make these changes? There are two reasons, and it goes beyond their current production at the plate.

Why Phillies are hitting Marsh 4th, Bohm 7th vs. D-Backs​

The Phillies are sending out the following lineup against the Diamondbacks and righty starter Michael Soroka on Friday night in their City Connect uniforms:

1. Trea Turner, SS
2. Kyle Schwarber, DH
3. Bryce Harper, 1B
4. Brandon Marsh, LF
5. Bryson Stott, 2B
6. Adolis Garcia, RF
7. Alec Bohm, 3B
8. J.T. Realmuto, C
9. Justin Crawford, CF

It's an interesting lineup, as Bohm, normally hitting cleanup, has moved down three spots and is hitting behind Stott, Marsh, and Garcia.

Bohm is struggling this season, with a .186 batting average and .550 OPS in 43 at-bats so far. He went 2-for-9 in the Giants series, but his overall production hasn't been good enough to keep him in the four-hole. His move down the lineup makes sense.

But why Marsh fourth to have four lefty hitters in a row with Stott hitting fifth? For one, Marsh is hitting .275 with a .727 OPS, which is decent enough to place him fourth in the lineup against a righty pitcher.

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Stott, being fifth, making four-straight lefties in the lineup, is also interesting. He's hitting .167 with a .405 OPS, even worse than Bohm's production has been this season.

But the reason for moving Marsh up so aggressively, and keeping Stott fifth when Garcia could take that spot with his .250 average and .738 OPS, is the Diamondbacks' bullpen.

After the righty Soroka, the Diamondbacks would turn to their bullpen. In that Arizona bullpen, there isn't a single lefty reliever healthy. Eduardo Rodriguez is the only lefty pitcher on the roster that's healthy, and he's not going to face the Phillies.

With a lot of righties set to step on the mound during this game and this series, expect Marsh and Stott to place highly in the batting order.

It's an interesting strategy from Rob Thomson and the Phillies. With the struggles from the offense, it's worth a shot, as any help they can get is welcome amid this brutal 20-plus inning scoreless streak.

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