Max Kepler keeps it ‘old school’ in his preparation against lefty pitchers, and it’s paying off

Max Kepler hadn’t faced a lefty in five days when he stepped up against Nationals reliever Jose A. Ferrar on Thursday evening. He also hadn’t had a hit against a lefty since April 19.

“I felt weird visually in there,” said Kepler, who ended up striking out looking on five pitches.

The following day, he went to Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long and asked if Long could throw batting practice to him. He thought seeing pitches from Long, a lefty, would help him acclimate visually and improve his positioning at the plate.

“If I’m going to face lefties in the eighth and ninth, they’re the guys throwing 95-plus [mph] with sink and cut, then I’m going to have to lock it in, in the cage,” Kepler said.

» READ MORE: Phillies activate Brandon Marsh from the 10-day injured list

The Phillies have Trajekt pitching machines that can simulate real pitcher’s deliveries, but Kepler considers himself “old school,” preferring a real arm.

“He brings it,” Kepler said. “I like it close up, so I keep my swing short. But yeah, he’s sweating, huffing and puffing, and we’re battling in there.”

Despite being a left-handed batter, Kepler had better numbers against left-handed pitching in 2024 compared to right-handers. He hit .273 against same-handed pitching last year, compared to .247 against righties.

When he came to the Phillies on a one-year deal this offseason, they expected him to be the everyday left fielder. But so far, he’s often on the bench when the opposing team starts a lefty.

Entering Saturday, Kepler had 21 hits in 78 at-bats against righties, and five hits in just 24 at-bats against lefties.

“I usually try and approach lefties just like righties,” he said. “It just gets a little harder when you don’t get to see them as routinely as you do [with] the righties. The righties on the bench will say the same things about seeing righties, because you only get to see lefties.”

Instead, the at-bats Kepler does get against lefties are usually against relievers, in late-game and often high-leverage situations. That makes the pregame preparation all the more crucial.

“It’s very important, not just to hit [lefty relievers], but just to have a quality at-bat and see the ball,” Kepler said.

» READ MORE: Need a rest? J.T. Realmuto will never admit it, even as his offense dips. But his value goes beyond his bat.

He found himself in one of those situations Friday night, when Kepler stepped up against left-handed Arizona reliever José Castillo with the game tied in the seventh inning.

Kepler’s batting practice session with Long had been just hours before, so he felt he could see the ball better when Castillo threw him two straight sliders. Kepler didn’t miss the third, sending the game-winning homer 422 feet to right field.

“I see [Kepler] in there all the time, talking to the hitting coaches,” Kyle Schwarber said. “I see the drills that he does. He put in the work, and he got the result, where he got to the pitch that he wanted, and he didn’t miss it.

“I look at the guy, and if he can stay healthy, I feel like it’s just going to be such a big year for him.”

Ranger Suárez officially returned from the 15-day injured list on Saturday. He is scheduled to make his season debut on Sunday for the series finale against Arizona left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez (1-3, 6.06 ERA). Reliever José Ruiz was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 1, with a neck spasm.