Peter Bourjos is doing things, and he will play more for Phillies
Quietly, Peter Bourjos has not been awful in June, which is more than can be said for most of the Phillies hitters.
MINNEAPOLIS — Before a recent game, Pete Mackanin had not yet changed into his Phillies uniform as he hunched over his desk. He faced an impossible task.
He had to field a lineup.
Now, as the Phillies started a long road trip, Mackanin admitted to overthinking things. He wants to stop tinkering and adjusting and searching. He will take one lineup, play it for a few days, and see what happens.
For Peter Bourjos, that means more playing time. Quietly, Bourjos has not been awful in June, which is more than can be said for most of the Phillies hitters. He has 11 hits in his last 25 at bats, with four of them for extra bases.
His OPS, which sat at .508 on June 5, has risen to .607 in that 12-game span.
Bourjos, 29, has deficiencies that are well documented. But Mackanin looks set to play Bourjos and Cody Asche in the corner outfield spots until they play their way out of the jobs.
What does that mean for rookie Tyler Goeddel?
"He's more of a left fielder," Mackanin said. "Cody can't play right field. Goeddel has played out there. He's decent enough. There's room for improvement. For a kid to come out of double A ... not even thinking he'd be in the big leagues, he's holding his own."