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Phillies: Five things we learned from the Reds series

By John Town

May 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph (19) is doused with ice after hitting a walk off RBI single against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
May 27, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph (19) is doused with ice after hitting a walk off RBI single against the Cincinnati Reds during the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 17, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco (7) in action during the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

Benching Maikel Franco hasn’t helped

Manager Pete Mackanin made an executive decision to bench Maikel Franco for two games during the Rockies series. In the two weeks prior to the benching, Franco had just nine hits and one walk. He had a meager .244 on-base percentage between May 9 and 22.

Franco was back in the lineup for the last game of the Rockies series in the cleanup spot. He hit a single in his first at-bat but went quiet after that. His next hit wasn’t until the fourth inning of Sunday’s game.

Franco is 2-for-15 since being benched with four strikeouts and one walk. Mackanin had him hit sixth throughout the Reds series. The benching seems to have done little for Franco as he is still struggling to find himself at the plate.

With Howie Kendrick set to return Monday, he may start to edge into Franco’s playing time at third base. The team had Kendrick spend some time at third during his rehab assignment, which shows that they are considering having Kendrick play some time there over Franco.

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