PHILADELPHIA — A few weeks into a July in which Bryson Stott produced a .949 OPS against left-handed pitchers, the Philadelphia Phillies coaching staff poked fun at him for concentrating on lefties so much.“I think I’m a lefty specialist now,” Stott, a left-handed hitter, told hitting coach Kevin Long.“OK,” Long replied. “We realized that you had to have good at-bats against lefties to be in the lineup, but let’s make sure we’re taking care of the other ones.”It is a joke that wouldn’t have landed the same way in previous seasons, when Stott had serious ups and downs against lefties. He has been platooned and was the subject of conversation about whether he should be platooned when he did see everyday playing time. He has endured major struggles at the plate, including in May and June 2025 and the beginning of 2026.But somehow it has all come together. Since the start of May, Stott has a .361 on-base percentage (25th among qualified MLB hitters) and an .811 OPS (35th). He has been more consistent, posting reverse splits this season — slashing .308/.394/.462 with an .856 OPS against lefties versus .251/.326/.401 with a .727 OPS against righties. And he has excelled at third base, a position he hadn’t played much in the majors, as part of the Phillies’ post-trade deadline defensive shuffle.Who should win NL MVP?Joe CrisalliSo much of what Stott is doing well — walking more, playing good defense, being selective at the plate — reflects what this team is doing as a whole this month. This is a lineup built on slug and stardom. But if Stott and others continue performing as they have, the Phillies will be more well-rounded and stand a much better chance of getting where they want to go in a competitive wild-card race.Stott couldn’t point to one big difference-maker after a lackluster April in which he slashed .200/.250/.280 with a .530 OPS. “I don’t know. Just kind of kept going,” he said.But small successes have helped him at the plate. One is being more selective, which has led to more walks and has also led to better contact overall. His line-drive rate in August is the highest it’s been all season (33.3 percent), and his season-long number is among the highest of his career (24.2 percent). He also is seeing the lowest share of fastballs (53.1 percent) of any month of his career but has a .469 average against the fastballs he has faced this month.Long has emphasized better controlling the strike zone to all Phillies hitters. Stott, it seems, was an early adopter. He has 21 walks in his last 20 games. Before this season, his best prior stretch was 17 walks in 20 games in May 2024.