Shadows, quick bench changes and roster decisions – NBC Sports Philadelphia

With shadows expected at the start of Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday afternoon, the Phillies went with Johan Rojas in center field and Brandon Marsh in left field rather than Marsh in center with Austin Hays in left field.

Sounds like it will be the same arrangement to start Game 2.

“There will be some shadows at the start so there is a possibility that it will be difficult to score a few runs. That’s why I want the best defense available,” manager Rob Thomson said three hours before the series opener against the Mets. “Those 4:00 games in the postseason can be very difficult.

“I feel really comfortable when (Rojas) plays in midfield. And then Marsh, one of the best left fielders in baseball, mans left field. For today anyway and probably tomorrow with the shadows, I just want the best defense out there.

Bryce Harper also referenced the shadows when asked about the difficulty of facing right-hander Kodai Senga. The Mets turn to Senga in Game 1 after he made just one start in the regular season. He was sidelined from February to July with a shoulder injury and then suffered a season-ending calf injury in his individual start on July 26.

“We just have to adapt on the fly. I was surprised,” Thomson said. “(Mets manager Carlos Mendoza) announced it in his press conference yesterday. That was the first time I heard about it. They kept it a pretty good secret.”

The Phillies will face right-handed starters Senga and Luis Severino in Games 1 and 2. When facing a righty starter in the second half, Thomson tended to lean toward Rojas with a flyball pitcher on the mound, like Aaron Nola or the No. 5 starter, and Hays if it was a groundball-heavy guy like Zack Wheeler or Cristopher Sanchez was. But in the first two games of this series, the shadows will give Rojas the advantage.

That doesn't mean Hays will be short of opportunities. He'll start against lefties, and the Phillies feel comfortable pinch-hitting in three different spots – left field, center field and second base – to gain a platoon advantage. If the Mets use one of their lefties against Marsh, Hays or Weston Wilson could come off the bench. If it's Bryson Stott, Edmundo Sosa could come in. Kody Clemens could be substituted for Rojas.

“I just want to let the guys know that we might be moving a little earlier than usual so they aren't caught off guard,” Thomson said. “The same goes for Wilson, Hays and Clemens, I have to finish a little earlier than usual. These guys are usually there from the start anyway.”

The only questionable spot on the Phillies' NLDS roster was the final bullpen role. It went to left-hander Kolby Allard ahead of right-handers Max Lazar and Spencer Turnbull.

It depended on the length. The ghost runner on second base rule for extra innings is eliminated in the playoffs.

“If we get into an extra-inning game, the rules revert to Abner-Doubleday rules,” Thomson quipped, “so I just wanted as much length as possible.”