Another Phillies star deserves the patience Rob Thomson showed Nick Castellanos

Earlier this season, it looked like Nick Castellanos was on his way to being run out of Philadelphia. The outfielder was in the midst of a miserable start at the plate, hitting just .194 with four homers through May 18, and some of his at-bats were downright ugly; it was an open secret that all you had to do to get Castellanos out was throw him a breaking ball down and away. He was down to seventh in the lineup, and his place on this Phillies team was very much in doubt.

Flash forward a few months, and he may have just saved the Phillies' season. Castellanos delivered a game-tying solo homer in the sixth innings of NLDS Game 2 against the New York Mets, then followed that up with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to even the series at a game apiece. It's a story of perseverance, of a player blocking out the noise, locking back in and delivering when it matters most.

It's also a story of a manager having his player's back. Throughout Castellanos' early-season struggles, Phillies skipper Rob Thomson never wavered in his support for his everyday right fielder, making sure he knew that his job wasn't in jeopardy — and that Philly would need Castellanos to get where it eventually wanted to go.

“I'm so happy for him because I know that there's been a lot of talk about chase and this and that,” Thomson said after Game 2. “But he can hit. He can hit. He's just been grinding all year.”

Thomson should keep that same energy as the series shifts to New York ahead of Game 3. Because now a different stalwart in Philly's lineup is in the midst of a funk, and rather than having his back, the manager is threatening to lose him entirely — and doing the Phillies lineup a disservice in the process.

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Rob Thomson needs to have Alec Bohm's back in Game 3 vs. Mets

Compare that quote about Castellanos to the one Thomson gave regarding Alec Bohm, when asked why the third baseman wouldn't be starting Game 2 on Sunday.

“He’s scuffling a little bit,” Thomson said. “It’s not like there aren’t other guys scuffling in the lineup, but I just want to get some energy in the lineup."

Bohm certainly has been scuffling of late: He missed two weeks in early September due to a hand injury, then hit just .170 over 12 games upon returning to the lineup. He went 0-for-4 in Philly's Game 1 loss, looking visibly frustrated in the process. But, with all due respect to Edmundo Sosa, this Phillies lineup has a demonstrably different feel with Bohm in it. He's a key cog in an offense that needs to put protection behind Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper.

Yet despite all that, Thomson doesn't seem to be offering him the same support he gave Castellanos. And it seems to be wearing on Bohm: Thomson called on him for a pinch-hit appearance late in Game 2, and he was clearly pressing, popping out on the first pitch. We know that Bohm is a player who wears his emotions on his sleeve, and we also know how much he appreciates a vote of confidence — remember how Philly fans rallied around him after the whole "I hate this place" controversy?

It's unclear why Castellanos is deserving of patience where Bohm isn't, especially when Bohm seems to be the kind of player who would most benefit from it. It's unclear whether Thomson will have Bohm back in the lineup for Game 3, but even if he does, the manager needs to publicly change his tone and try to get one of his most important bats believing in himself again.