Daily News | Didi Gregorius matches the Phillies’ winning vibe
MILWAUKEE — Didi Gregorius’ minor-league rehab assignment at triple-A Lehigh Valley lasted only five days last week.When Gregorius left the Phillies, Joe Girardi was still the manager. When he returned Sunday, Girardi had been fired, replaced by bench coach Rob Thomson. After falling to a season-high eight games under .500, the team was winning again.
“His energy level is good,” Thomson said. “We’ve got watch him because he didn’t play all that much [in triple A]. We really have to watch him to make sure that we don’t bury him.” In the fifth inning, Gregorius drove in a run on a check-swing double down the third-base line against reigning Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes to open a 3-1 lead.“I wasn’t going to swing, but apparently I made good contact,” Gregorius said, laughing. “It was better than I thought it was going to be.”Three of rookie infielder Bryson Stott’s four hits Wednesday night came with two strikes.
Thomson cited Bryce Harper as an example of a good two-strike approach. Harper tends to widen his stance to cover more of the plate.