NEW YORK — Don Mattingly isn’t quite ready to give Edmundo Sosa more at-bats, but he’s making a case to be in the lineup a little more often. The Phillies utility man went 3-for-3 with a home run and was a triple short of the cycle in a 6-3 loss on Friday night against the New York Mets.
He did not get the chance to go for a cycle. With the right-hander Dedniel Nuñez on the mound, Sosa was replaced by pinch hitter Brandon Marsh. Marsh, who has the worst OPS in baseball since July 1, flew out to left field for the first out of the ninth inning.
Why did Mattingly take out the hot hand? His answer gives some insight on how he’ll approach other lineup decisions as the postseason nears.
“I thought about (keeping Sosa in), but I like the consistency of staying with what we do,” Mattingly said. “We’ve been doing this all year long. We’re down to however many games we have left. I think changing a lot of stuff around and getting away from what you do sends the panic message, and then we’re in a mess.
“We got to be able to have our guys do what they do. And also with (Sosa), you want to match up. It depends on what kind of pitcher it is. Some of the choices you make with him is based on style, how they attack and things like that. Again, we thought that was a better spot for Marsh out there.”
Sosa’s OPS was just .587 entering August. It’s now at .708. It’s the first time he’s had an OPS above .700 since early May.
He has been without a set role since the trade deadline. Bryce Harper’s move to right field shifted Bryan De La Cruz to Sosa’s previous role as Marsh’s platoon partner in left field. Now that Bryson Stott is an everyday infielder, at-bats have been hard to come by for Sosa. Stott, who has three hits in the series, has looked better recently, but he has slowed down offensively in the month of September.
Mattingly was asked before the game Friday if he had considered turning third base into a platoon between Stott and Sosa. Stott, for now, will remain the everyday third baseman.
“I’m not there at all,” Mattingly said. “(Stott), he walks twice (on Wednesday). He’s getting back on track. So I’m comfortable with him at this point. I don’t like taking him out of the lineup.”
On days where the Phillies are facing a left-handed starter, Mattingly likes having a right-handed hitter on his bench. That way if the Phillies use Marsh or Justin Crawford as pinch-hitters against right-handed relievers, Mattingly can counter with another right-handed hitter later in the game, either Sosa, De La Cruz or Derek Hill, if the opposing team puts in a left-handed reliever.
“I like having the back and forth with our righty, with having one righty sitting there,” Mattingly said. “(They) go lefty, we can go back righty. It helps in that regard.”
Much of the offense on Friday night came from Sosa, who led the team with three hits. Hill homered to left field in the seventh inning and Stott drove in Sosa on an RBI double in the second.
Recent waiver claim José Urquidy impressed in bulk relief, allowing only five hits and striking out six in 4 2/3 innings. He could start for the Phillies on Thursday, the next time the Phillies would need to run a bullpen game. He’s at least earned another day on the roster.
“Obviously, I don’t make that decision today without talking to everybody and Dave (Dombrowski) and the pitching guys,” Mattingly said. “It’s hard to see anything today that you didn’t like.”
Orion Kerkering gave up the big hit, a three-run home run to Juan Soto in the sixth to extend the Mets’ lead to four.
Barbara Jean
September 19, 2026 at 5:49 am
So once in a while, when you make $50 million a year, you have to come out clutch to win the game. The Mets lost the last four, and having just told a friend of mine, who is the biggest Mets fan in the world, the Mets are bound to win at least two out of four.
Ted T
September 19, 2026 at 2:21 pm
“The consistency of staying with what we do.” Five of the Phillies first nine offensive players make eight figures per year. Yet, the team is below average in runs scored. Maybe “what we do” isn’t what should be done.