Here's why Harper might move out of cleanup spot vs. Astros

PHILADELPHIA -- The top of the Phillies’ lineup has remained the same for every game during the club’s postseason run so far: Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto and Bryce Harper.

But that may change in the World Series.

With the Astros deploying an all-right-handed bullpen, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said on Wednesday that he has considered moving designated hitter Harper up to the No. 3 spot in the order. That would bump catcher Realmuto down to the cleanup spot.

Harper has hit exclusively out of the No. 4 hole this postseason to keep him further away from the fellow left-handed-hitting Schwarber in the lineup. By putting a pair of right-handed hitters between Schwarber and Harper, that has made it tougher on opposing managers to use their top left-handed reliever to face both guys.

Yet with Houston deploying nothing but right-handers out of its ‘pen, it’s possible that Harper could return to the No. 3 spot in the lineup where he spent most of this season. The National League Championship Series MVP started 82 games in the three-hole during the regular season, compared to just 13 in the cleanup spot.

“Yeah, I have a little bit,” Thomson said when asked if he’s thought about sliding Harper back up in the lineup. “Just because there's no left-hander in the bullpen.”

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While the Astros don’t have any southpaw relievers, they certainly have plenty of right-handed arms who can handle left-handed bats.

“They've got some even-split guys, they've got some reverse-split guys coming out of their bullpen,” Thomson said. “So not having a lefty, I don't think it really concerns them too much.”

The go-to guy in those spots will likely be Bryan Abreu, who held left-handed hitters to a .494 OPS during the regular season (righties posted a .642 OPS). Abreu has not allowed a home run to any of the 134 left-handed batters he's faced in 2022, including the postseason. Left-handed hitters are 1-for-11 with five strikeouts vs. Abreu this postseason.

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But it’s not just Abreu. Fellow righty Rafael Montero held lefties to a .158/.262/.246 slash line (.507 OPS) during the regular season. Right-handers slashed a slightly better .225/.273/.287 (.560) against him.

Given Houston’s multiple options in those spots, Thomson may elect to simply maximize Harper’s potential at-bats by ensuring he gets to the plate in the first inning, as opposed to worrying about forcing the Astros’ hand with late-game bullpen decisions.

“I still like our matchups,” Thomson said. “I like our hitters. I think our lefties are swinging the bat pretty good and I'll take my chances.”

Rest or rust?

It was a highly discussed topic during the Division Series, but with the Phillies and Astros each having four days off ahead of Friday’s Game 1, players on both teams are again dealing with an extended break.

It’s nothing new to the Astros at this point. They had five days off between the end of the regular season and Game 1 of the ALDS, thanks to earning a first-round bye. After sweeping Seattle, Houston had three more days off before facing the Yankees in the ALCS. Factor in the off-days during those series, and the Astros will have had 15 off-days between the end of the regular season and Game 1 of the World Series.

As for the Phillies, they had one day off between the end of the regular season in Houston and the start of the NL Wild Card Series in St. Louis. Philadelphia then had just two days off between the NLWCS and the NLDS, followed by another two days between the NLDS and NLCS.

The only time the Phils had four consecutive days off since the start of Spring Training was the All-Star break in July.

“I've never done this before, so I've never had the [four] days off,” Hoskins said. “Usually [four] days off for me is the start of the offseason. I think we're using it as a blessing, though, for sure.”

As a team, the Phillies have 39 extra-base hits this postseason -- 12 more than any other club. Their .442 slugging percentage is also the highest among the 12 playoff teams, including 34 points higher than the Astros’ .408 mark.

And while both Hoskins and Harper have said they’d prefer to keep playing when the team is this locked in, the Astros -- who are 7-0 this postseason -- have been just as hot.

“I wish we played tomorrow,” Harper said after the Phillies’ NLCS-clinching win on Sunday night. “I think our team, that's how we are. We want to keep playing. We want to keep grinding. I didn't even know we had four or five days off. I had no idea. That's crazy. That's a long time.”