Franco has found a home in No. 8 slot
NEW YORK » Gabe Kapler isn’t sure why Maikel Franco is so comfortable in the eighth spot in the lineup. Whatever it is, perhaps it’s best left unexamined.
The mercurial third baseman is hitting .379 out of the eighthole, so manager Gabe Kapler penciled him into that spot for the eighth straight game Tuesday against the New York Mets at Citi Field.
Franco has hits in six of his previous seven outings and seems to be adapting to the challenges of that spot. He continued his hot streak with a three-run homer in the second inning Tuesday.
“I’ve seen quite an uptick in a couple of areas,” Kapler said pregame. “The first is just in the overall baseball games that he’s played. So the effort on the bases has been really good. He’s really been engaged on defense. He’s gotten good breaks and reads on the ball, particularly balls that he has to come in and get, but also balls to his left and right. I think he’s just been a solid all-around baseball player in the last 10 days or so. The patience, I think, is notable.”
In nine starts (12 total games) batting eighth entering Tuesday, Franco’s on-base percentage is a whopping .486 and his on-base-plus slugging is 1.037. He’s walked six times in 35 plate appearances as the No. 8 hitter, as opposed to 14 times in his other 243 plate appearances this season.
In 12 career starts in the eight hole (16 games), he’s got a slash line of .310/.396/.429. It’s his highest average of any spot in the order by 45 points (.265 at sixth) and highest OPS by nearly 80 points (.317 at third), among lineup spots he’s started at least 10 games in.
Whether that patience has anything to do with the pitcher batting behind him, Kapler isn’t sure. And he admitted he hasn’t talked to Franco much about the vagaries of the swap.
What’s most important, he said, is how the player feels in that role. Much like Rhys Hoskins’ power stroke somewhat unconventionally slotted into the No. 2 hole or Carlos Santana and his high walk rate batting cleanup, for as often as Kapler is derided for a singular focus on analytics, he’s chosen to rely more on players’ comfort.
With Franco, as long as it’s working, there’s no need to explore it too deeply.
“I’m not sure how much correlation there is to hitting in front of the pitcher and maybe forcing some discipline there,” Kapler said. “If I had to bet on it, I would say there’s nothing to that. But things are moving in the right direction and I really want them to move in the right direction, for Maiky’s sake.”
*** It wasn’t a benching for Odubel Herrera in the back half of Monday’s doubleheader split, Kapler said. Getting the not-quite All-Star some rest was the priority, not anything to do with a gaffe in the field that exacerbated a Mets rally.
Citing a desire to get the struggling Aaron Alterr at-bats and the imperative not to sit red-hot Nick Williams, Kapler saw a chance to mitigate Herrera’s hefty recent workload.
“We’re constantly looking for the appropriate time to get guys off of their feet,” he said. “In Herrera’s case, he’s played a lot of baseball games, a lot of consecutive baseball games. … It has to happen somewhere.”
Herrera had played 23 straight games, his last off day coming June 13. He hadn’t been lifted from a game since June 22, and even that was just for the ninth in a blowout win over Washington. Tuesday’s starting pitcher Enyel De Los Santos was the tip of the iceberg of roster, his contract selected from Triple A Lehigh Valley for his Major League debut. To make room, Pedro Florimon (foot) was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.
The other new face in the clubhouse was Trevor Plouffe, whose contract was also selected from the Iron Pigs as an extra bat off the bench. Plouffe is batting .240 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs in 60 games with Lehigh Valley.
Dylan Cozens was optioned to Lehigh Valley to accommodate Plouffe on the active roster. Hoby Milner was designated for assignment to get Plouffe on the 40-man.
The 32-year-old Plouffe was signed as a free agent in April after the Texas Rangers released him. He’s a veteran of eight big league seasons, spending last year hitting .198 in 100 games with Oakland and Tampa Bay. A third baseman by trade, Plouffe has played all over the infield and outfield.
Cozens was 2-for-18 with a homer and two RBIs (and 12 strikeouts) in 12 games with the Phillies and 0-for-7 as a pinch hitter.
Milner was solid last year with a 2.01 ERA in 37 games out of the bullpen, but the 27-yearold lefty was lit up to the tune of a 7.71 ERA in 2018. He was sent down in late April and recalled briefly for Monday’s doubleheader, though he didn’t pitch. He’s been solid at Lehigh Valley (2.39 ERA in 26.1 innings pitched). Vince Velasquez (5-8, 4.69 ERA) is in line to come off the DL from his right forearm contusion to start Wednesday’s finale with the Mets, Kapler confirmed. Velasquez will oppose MLB’s ERA leader, Jacob de Grom (5-4, 1.79).
Nick Pivetta (5-7, 4.62) will toe the rubber in Thursday’s make-up trip to Baltimore, opposed by Kevin Gausman (46, 4.11). And Jake Arrieta (6-6, 3.47) will open the series in Miami Friday night against WeiYin Chen (2-6, 6.14).
A decision has yet to be made on the weekend, though, with Zach Eflin and Aaron Nola both available on regular rest for Saturday. Should Nola pitch Sunday, he would be ineligible to throw in the All-Star Game next Tuesday.
•Rookie De Los Santos shines in debut as Phils beat Mets »