Extra sessions with hitting coach Kevin Long have Brandon Marsh back in Phillies’ lineup vs. Giants

Over the past few days, Brandon Marsh has tried to get as many swings in as possible.

The Phillies center fielder, whose .108 batting average is the lowest on the team out of any player with at least four at-bats entering Tuesday’s game, is scuffling badly and he knows it. He is still searching for his first hit in April after coming up empty in his first 30 plate appearances.

That’s why Marsh has hit on the field earlier than usual before games several times this week. And on Monday, when manager Rob Thomson held him out of the starting lineup vs. the San Francisco Giants to give him a breather, Marsh had three batting practice sessions with hitting coach Kevin Long.

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“A lot of it boils down to getting your confidence back, relaxing and just trusting yourself,” Long said. “He’s a very good player. He’s a very talented player. He deserves to be here, but you know, you’ve got to go out there and perform, too. And he knows that, and maybe he was putting too much pressure on himself.”

Marsh and Long even hit together after Monday’s game, which is not typically part of Marsh’s routine. He was used as a defensive replacement in the ninth inning of the 10-4 loss but did not get an at-bat.

Thomson had initially expected to give Marsh three games off, with the Giants’ only left-hander, Robbie Ray, scheduled to start on Wednesday. Marsh felt his confidence diminish due to his lack of results, and Thomson thought he would benefit from some extra time on the bench.

“You want to do the best you can, and when you’re not performing, you tend to think that the weight of the world is on your shoulders,” Long said.

But Thomson reevaluated after Marsh’s good day of work with Long. After checking in with both, Thomson felt as if Marsh had returned to a good headspace, and penciled him back in the nine-hole on Tuesday.

“Just get a day away from the game where you just don’t even think about it and just do some hitting, it’ll clear your head pretty quickly,” Thomson said.

Kyle Schwarber even joined Marsh and Long for one of their sessions on Monday. Schwarber, a fellow lefty, has cut his chase rate to 17.7% this year and has already clubbed six home runs. He has helped Marsh in the past with his approach to left-handed pitching.

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Long isn’t necessarily looking for results out of Marsh on Tuesday, but is hoping to see an improved quality in his at-bats. Marsh has a 31.1% strikeout rate and a 28% chase rate so far this season.

“Just competing, just put together quality at-bats. Swing at strikes, go in there with confidence,” Long said. “Just be a tough out.”

In Marsh’s first at-bat in the second inning on Tuesday, he hit a sacrifice fly to score Max Kepler, which received a standing ovation from the home crowd.

Weston Wilson’s rehab assignment was transferred to triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday. Recovering from an oblique injury in his left side, he played nine innings at second base and finished 2-for-5 with a double and a triple. … Aaron Nola (0-3, 5.51 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday against Giants left-hander Robbie Ray (3-0, 2.93).