Overview

• Thomson said Max Kepler will get more run against right-handed pitching, and Nick Castellanos sat for the third time in four games as Kepler started in Miami and homered in a 9-3 win.
• Castellanos is batting .199/.253/.309 since the All-Star break with a sub-.600 OPS in July and August, prompting the shift in playing time.
• Versus right-handers the Phillies are starting Brandon Marsh in left, Harrison Bader in center, and Kepler in right, with Castellanos limited to the short side of a platoon or occasional DH/first-base starts.
• Since Aug. 1, Marsh, Bader, and Kepler have outperformed, punctuated by all three homering Friday, while Philadelphia moved to 82-59 with a six-game NL East lead and a 3.5-game cushion for a postseason bye.
• Castellanos is in year four of a five-year, $20 million contract, and reporting suggests the team could seek a trade partner or weigh an offseason release if no market develops.