Cristian Pache is in left field, batting eighth in the Phillies’ lineup for Game 1 of their wild-card series against the Marlins on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.
Manager Rob Thomson began dropping hints over the weekend in New York that Pache could be the starter to pair with Marlins left-hander Jesus Luzardo. The Phillies moved away from using Brandon Marsh against lefties in the second half, so he had just 15 plate appearances against same-handed pitchers in September, four fewer than Pache. Marsh held his own against lefties early in the season and his last hit was a three-run home run against Mets southpaw Anthony Kay, but the Phils like their chances with the right-handed hitting corner outfielder.
They could have gone with Weston Wilson, who was called up last weekend, made the postseason roster and reached base in eight of 16 plate appearances as a big leaguer, but the Phillies are optimizing defense instead. When referring to Pache over the weekend, Thomson cited run prevention against a team that doesn’t allow many players as a reason to bring him in.
The Marlins will start left-handers Luzardo and Braxton Garrett in the first two games of the best-of-3 series. Miami won all four games against the Phillies this season. Pache went 16-for-51 with six doubles and two home runs against lefties, hitting .314/.375/.549. Thomson said Tuesday that a right-hander would also likely start against Garrett in Game 2.
In addition to Marsh and Pache, the Phillies also have Jake Cave and Wilson on their 26-man roster for the wild card round. The additional position player gives them the flexibility to use three or even four players in that one lineup spot if they wish. In a close game, they could optimize based on left-right matchups once Miami’s starter goes out. You might see a few hits for Pache, a few for Marsh, and possibly someone else. Cave could come into play as a defensive replacement for Wilson if Wilson is used late against a lefty. The Marlins have seven left-handed hitters on their roster and they will primarily want to use them in the Kyle Schwarber-Bryce Harper section of the lineup.
Here are Thomson’s starting XI for Game 1:
Marlins second baseman Luis Arraez is in the lineup and runs the ball. The 2023 National League batting champion had just one more at-bat after Sept. 23 due to a nagging ankle injury. He hit the cycle on April 11 in Philadelphia and posted a .347 batting average against the Phillies that season, which was actually lower than his overall batting average of .354.