Phillies sit Max Kepler and start Otto Kemp in left field, even against a right-handed starter

SAN DIEGO — Just over two weeks ago, Max Kepler expressed discontent with his playing time.

Kepler said he had expected to be the Phillies’ everyday left fielder when he signed with them this offseason, and was disappointed at his lack of at-bats and opportunities against left-handed starters. Kepler has made only three starts against left-handers this year, and has been hitting .213 with a .595 OPS against lefties across the board.

“I think I play my best game when I’m getting routine and consistent play time,” Kepler said on June 27. “I’ve always gone through my ruts and gone through my hot streaks. Some might say I’m a streaky hitter. But I’d say the hardest thing to do in this game for me is to go play with inconsistent opportunities.”

On Sunday, for the first time this season, Kepler sat against a right-handed starter. With former Phillie Nick Pivetta on the mound for the San Diego Padres, Otto Kemp started in left field in place of Kepler.

According to Phillies manager Rob Thomson, the move was more about getting Kemp into the lineup.

“Just want to see him get some at-bats,” Thomson said. “Probably going to get a couple of lefties coming out of the break with the Angels, and Pivetta’s been more neutral as of late. And I’ve liked his at-bats. He’s been good.”

Kemp, who played college baseball in San Diego and had a large contingent of fans at each of the Phillies games at Petco Park, also pinch-hit for Kepler in Saturday’s game against lefty reliever Yuki Matsui. Kemp fell behind 0-2, swinging so hard his bat left his hands and flew toward the Phillies dugout. But he fouled off two splitters to stay alive before poking a single to right field.

Thomson said Kepler handled the news that he was sitting Sunday “fine.”

“We talked [Saturday], and he was fine being pinch-hit for,” he said. “I’m sure he’s not overly happy, but he’s professional about it.”

Kepler has had an up-and-down season overall, even against right-handers. He has 10 home runs, tied for fourth on the team, but his .210 batting average is lowest among qualified players on the Phillies.

Even before Kepler sat on Sunday, Thomson had lowered him to eighth in the batting order, hoping to take some heat off him.

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“He’s gone through some really good stretches where you think, ‘Well, OK, he’s taking off. It looks like the guy that we saw in spring training,’” Thomson said. “But then there’s other times when he has been smothering in balls, just getting out in front too much. And it looks like he’s trying to do too much.”

Alec Bohm was also out of the lineup after getting hit by a pitch in his left side on Saturday. He was removed from the 5-4 loss in the fourth inning after the bruise to his ribs was impacting his swing. Edmundo Sosa started at third base in his place.

Kyle Schwarber was moved back to the leadoff spot-on Sunday, sliding Trea Turner to the two-hole. Thomson said the switch was in order to break up the right-handers in the lineup.

Taijuan Walker will remain in the Phillies rotation for at least one turn after the All-Star break.

Jesús Luzardo will start Friday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Angels, followed by Walker on Saturday and Ranger Suárez on Sunday. Zack Wheeler will take the ball for the first game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, and Cristopher Sánchez will pitch Tuesday.

Walker threw four innings in his return to the rotation last week in San Francisco. He allowed one run on two hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

In his last start before being shut down through the All-Star break, top prospect Andrew Painter threw five innings for triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday against the Syracuse Mets. He allowed zero walks but gave up three runs on six hits, including a pair of homers from Jakson Reetz and Francisco Alvarez.

Painter has a 5.01 ERA over 55⅔ innings in triple A this season. He is averaging 9.54 strikeouts, 3.23 walks, and 1.78 home runs per nine innings.