Kyle Schwarber will bat after Bryce Harper in Phillies’ lineup to combat intentional walks: ‘They’ve got to pitch to him’

ST. LOUIS — Bryce Harper came to the plate twice with a runner in scoring position Thursday night in Atlanta.

Both times, the Braves intentionally walked him.

The Phillies didn’t have much time to sleep on it after a rain-delayed, 11-inning marathon that ended at 12:53 a.m. Friday. But they do know this: They don’t want taking the bat out of Harper’s hand to become a trend.

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And so, when manager Rob Thomson cleared the cobwebs from his bleary eyes, he drew up a batting order in which Harper and Kyle Schwarber were back-to-back in the No. 3 and 4 spots for the series opener against the Cardinals.

“Just trying to protect Harper as best we can,” Thomson said. “Don’t want to get into a situation where they’re going to intentionally walk him. They’ve got to pitch to him.”

Consider it an unintended consequence of Alec Bohm’s early — emphasis on early — lack of production.

Bohm is the Phillies’ first choice to bat behind Harper. But he was stuck in a 4-for-40 slump entering Friday night, prompting Thomson to drop him to the No. 7 spot in the order.

It isn’t only Bohm, though. Through 12 games, the Phillies have tried four players in the spot behind Harper: Bohm for seven games, J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos twice apiece, and Max Kepler once. They have combined to go 6-for-50 (.120) with one double.

Castellanos took a turn in the cleanup spot behind Harper on Wednesday night in Atlanta and went 0-for-5 with five strikeouts. It was the 12th instance of a Phillies player striking out five times in a game and the first since Stott on April 16, 2022.

Thomson prefers to alternate left- and right-handed hitters through as much of the batting order as possible to avoid easy late-game matchups for opposing managers. But Harper and Schwarber hit lefties well. Schwarber, in particular, is off to an 8-for-17 start against lefties after batting .300 against them last season.

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So, if batting Harper and Schwarber back to back invites opposing managers to bring in a lefty reliever to face them late in a game, would Thomson mind as much?

“We’ll see,” Thomson said. “We’ll see how it works out.”

Another feature of the Phillies’ reconfigured lineup: Bryson Stott in the leadoff spot against Cardinals righty Andre Pallante. Schwarber had been leading off against right-handed starters, with Trea Turner atop the order against lefties.

The Phillies have flirted with the idea of Stott as a leadoff man because of his tendency to see pitches and grind out at-bats. With three hits in the last two games against the Braves, he hiked his early-season average to .282 with a .364 on-base percentage. In particular, he was reaching base at a .464 clip against righties.

Ranger Suárez threw 33 pitches in three scoreless innings Thursday for low-A Clearwater, the first step in his return from a stiff low back in spring training.

“He checked all the boxes,” Thomson said.

Next up: At least two more minor league starts.

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Suárez is scheduled for four innings Tuesday or Wednesday at an affiliate to be determined based on weather. After that, he will make a five-inning start and get close to 100 pitches before the Phillies consider reinserting him into the rotation.

Would the Phillies consider a six-man rotation when Suárez is ready?

“We’ll see where we’re at,” Thomson said.

In his first minor league start since 2022, top prospect Andrew Painter allowed two runs on two hits and one walk in 1⅓ innings for low-A Clearwater against Daytona.

Painter threw 37 pitches, including three that touched 100 mph in the first inning.

“Finding out tomorrow that he’s healthy,” Thomson said, “that’s a big part of it.”

Utility infielder Weston Wilson, making his way back from a strained muscle in his side, played seven innings at third base for Clearwater. He’s scheduled for nine innings in left field Saturday before moving to triple-A Lehigh Valley next week. … Cristopher Sánchez (0-0, 4.09 ERA) is slated to start at 1:15 p.m. Saturday against Cardinals righty Miles Mikolas (0-1, 11.25).