SAN FRANCISCO — "Trust me," Rob Thomson told Alec Bohm after the Phillies' series opener Monday at Oracle Park. "I promise I'm telling you the truth that this was a planned thing."
Thomson had decided a few days in advance to sit Bohm on Tuesday night in the middle of a three-game series against the Giants. It wasn't a punishment for his two-error game in Monday's 8-4 loss, it was a routine day off for a player who looked like he could use one.
Entering Tuesday night, Bohm had started 52 of the Phillies' 55 games and appeared in all 55. He finally started to cool off as the Phillies hit the road for three games in Denver and three in San Francisco, going 3-for-21 over his last five games with one RBI.
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"I decided a few days ago to give him this day off but I didn't tell him until after the game yesterday," Thomson said, adding that Bohm would be back in the starting lineup Wednesday afternoon in the series finale.
Bohm has committed four errors in his last seven games at third base. He had committed 14 in his prior 247 starts, which averages out to one every 14 games. He's not a plus defender, but he's been far from a liability for just over two years.
"Very well, and in particular him," Thomson said of how he thinks the Phillies have played defensively this season. "That was just a weird game yesterday. He's played really consistent, he's really improved, I have no problems with him."
With Bohm out Tuesday, Kody Clemens started at third base and Nick Castellanos hit cleanup. The Phillies faced a left-handed opener in Erik Miller, a former prospect they traded to the Giants for Yunior Marte in January of 2023.
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With Kyle Harrison slated to start Wednesday, the Phillies will have faced five left-handed starting pitchers in seven games. They entered Tuesday with 22 more plate appearances against lefties than any team, and their left-handed hitters also had 22 more plate appearances vs. lefties than any team's.
Part of that is a scheduling quirk, part of it is teams opting to attack the Phillies this way when they can. With Trea Turner sidelined by a hamstring strain, the lineup skews more left-handed than usual, another reason why Edmundo Sosa's hot streak has been so perfectly timed.