Phillies’ Rafael Marchán sheds rust with two hits and again works well with Jesús Luzardo

Rob Thomson offered multiple reasons for why the Phillies had Rafael Marchán catch the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader followed by J.T. Realmuto in the second.

For one thing, Thomson said, it enabled Realmuto to get a few extra hours of rest, almost like a second day off after Tuesday’s rainout. Realmuto is also batting .235 with a .605 OPS in day games compared to .260/.794 at night.

OK, but what about how much better Aaron Nola has fared with Realmuto behind the plate compared to Marchán?

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The numbers are stark. In four starts with Marchán behind the plate, Nola has a 7.40 ERA; in four starts this season Realmuto, Nola had a 2.49 ERA entering Wednesday night.

Thomson acknowledged the difference but claimed he isn’t reading much into it ... yet.

“We’ll see,” he said. “We’ll see if there is something there. [Nola and Realmuto] are a little more familiar with each other. But I trust Marchán with anybody.”

Marchán has taken over this season as the Phillies’ backup catcher, a role that belonged to Garrett Stubbs for the last three seasons. Because Realmuto plays more than any catcher in the majors, it’s an underutilized job. Realmuto has started 35 of 43 games.

And because playing time is so scarce, it can be a difficult job, too. Marchán often goes at least five days without an at-bat in a game. He recently went 10 days between at-bats.

The rust can manifest in various ways. Before he picked up two hits in the rainy doubleheader opener against the Cardinals, Marchán hadn’t gotten a hit since April 20. He’s only 4-for-25 (.160) with a .483 OPS overall.

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Marchán also had two misadventures on the bases against the Cardinals. In the third inning, he misread a line drive to center field and got doubled off first base. In the seventh, he appeared to get tagged out trying to stretch a single. But the call was overturned when a replay challenge showed that he slid into second base ahead of the tag.

“We got a break there, for sure,” Thomson said. “He had a couple of bad reads today.”

It turned out to be a pivotal moment in the game. Bryson Stott followed with a game-tying infield single, and Marchán scored the go-ahead run on Bryce Harper‘s bloop to center field.

And Marchán seemed to work well behind the plate with starter Jesús Luzardo, who gave up one run in seven innings to lower his ERA to 2.00. Luzardo’s ERA in two starts with Marchán is 1.29.

Maybe it becomes a thing.

In case Orion Kerkering‘s inconsistent start to the season cast a doubt on his status in the bullpen pecking order, consider how Thomson managed the eighth inning in the opener.

With two on and one out in a one-run game, Thomson lifted José Alvarado in favor of Kerkering to get a righty-on-righty matchup against Nolan Arenado. Kerkering got Arenado to foul out before striking out Willson Contreras.

“That’s three outings in a row that he’s been pretty good,” Thomson said of Kerkering. “At that point, we needed swing and miss. We needed to shut it down right there, and I like the right-on-right better.”

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Kerkering has a 4.32 ERA through 19 appearances. But he has set down eight of nine batters over his last three outings, four by strikeout.

The Phillies continue to count on Kerkering as a top right-handed option with Jordan Romano, who struck out the side in the ninth inning and hasn’t allowed a run in his last six appearances.

“He’s got some of the best stuff in the league,” Romano said of Kerkering. “Coming in that spot, seeing him get those two big outs, it kind of pumps up the boys. When I see him get that last strikeout, it kind of pumps me up and I feel like we’re just trying to keep that going.”

On the eve of his poker tournament to support veterans and service members through Team Red White & Blue, Nola was named Players Trust Most Valuable Philanthropist, the MLBPA announced.

Nola donated $1,000 per strikeout last season to Team Red White & Blue. He also helped raise $250,000 for ALS research with a charity bowling tournament. His poker event will be held at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Citizens Bank Park. For information: teamrwb.org/nola.

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The Phillies recalled newly-acquired reliever Daniel Robert as the extra player for the doubleheader. Robert, 30, was sent back after the games to triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he hasn’t walked a batter in 3⅓ scoreless innings since coming over from the Rangers in a trade for A-ball pitcher Enrique Segura. ... Righty reliever José Ruiz (neck) began his minor league assignment with a scoreless, 10-pitch inning Tuesday night for Lehigh Valley. He’s scheduled to pitch again Friday. ... After a day off, the Phillies will open a three-game series with the Pirates. Ranger Suárez (1-0, 5.91 ERA) is slated to start at 6:45 p.m. Friday against lefty Andrew Heaney (2-3, 3.15). The Phillies are scheduled to face Pirates ace Paul Skenes for the first time in Sunday’s finale.