Phillies Surprisingly Stick With Lineup for Finale With Mariners

The Philadelphia Phillies aren't making any changes looking to avoid a sweep by the Seattle Mariners.

Jul 31, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) celebrates with outfielder Brandon Marsh (16) after scoring a run during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies entered their three-game series against the Seattle Mariners riding a nine-game winning streak.

They had done a great job of saving their season after a brutal stretch to start the second half, which led to the team falling out of a Wild Card spot in the National League. While they had some more room for error, they are giving back some of that created leeway against the Mariners.

The first two games of a nine-game road trip have been losses. The Phillies are looking to salvage the series with Seattle and avoid the sweep, with Jesus Luzardo taking the mound against Bryan Woo.

In a surprising turn of events, interim manager Don Mattingly isn’t making any changes to the lineup in support of Luzardo from the first two games. Their lineup will be essentially identical for all three games; the only change was catcher Garrett Stubbs starting in Game 2 and batting ninth; in Games 1 and 3, it was J.T. Realmuto behind the plate batting eighth.

Phillies sticking with same lineup against Mariners

Aug 25, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Don Mattingly during the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That means Mattingly is sticking with designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and shortstop Trea Turner as his leadoff and No. 2 hitters. Given the hot streak Philadelphia was on coming into the series, not having a drastic change makes sense.

However, a shakeup at the top could certainly help get the offense back on track. Schwarber is 0-for-7 with a walk and three strikeouts against the Mariners. Turner has gone 0-for-4 in three straight games with four strikeouts.

The top two players in the lineup getting on base a single time is a recipe for disaster, which is why the offense has been stuck in neutral against the Mariners. It is too bad because Bryce Harper, who is batting third and playing right field, has continued to produce.

He has multiple hits in three straight games and has an on-base streak of 28 games, with July 25 being the last time he didn’t get on base at least once.

Series finale in Seattle#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/H9Koa8FDD0

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 26, 2026

Behind him in the lineup remains second baseman Luis Arraez, who has started finding his groove with the Phillies since an 0-for-17 stretch earlier in his tenure. First baseman Alec Bohm, who has been on fire since the All-Star break, is batting fifth.

Bryson Stott is playing third base and batting sixth. In left field and batting seventh is Brandon Marsh. Realmuto is batting eighth behind the plate and center fielder Justin Crawford rounds things out batting ninth.

It will be interesting to see how much longer Turner remains a fixture in the No. 2 spot playing shortstop. He is hurting the team with his current production, struggling at the plate and committing the most errors in MLB, with 20.