The Phillies’ playoff picture has turned into a problem for their pitching plan, and that’s exactly the kind of opening the Braves would love to see.
Philadelphia still has work to do just to get in, and the uncertainty is forcing the club to treat the final weekend like a regular-season emergency instead of a postseason setup. That matters because the Phillies’ biggest weapon is supposed to be their rotation. Instead, the way things are lined up now could leave them scrambling if they end up in a best-of-three against Atlanta.
There’s still a path where the Phillies miss the playoffs altogether, but it would take them losing two more games than the Diamondbacks this weekend. If Arizona sweeps the Padres, Philadelphia would need to win two of three against the Rays. If Arizona wins two of three, the Phillies would only need one win.
If the Phillies do clinch, the most likely postseason opponent is the Braves. Philadelphia is one game behind the Cubs and does not hold the tiebreaker, and it is also two games back of the Padres.
The bigger issue is what this delay has done to their pitching order. Cristopher Sanchez is scheduled to start tonight against the Rays, which would put him on short rest for Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series. After what is expected to be a bullpen game on Saturday, Zack Wheeler is currently lined up for Sunday, which would also put him on short rest for Game 3.
That would leave Philadelphia in a tough spot. Aaron Nola would be the option for Game 1, unless the Phillies turn to Jesús Luzardo, who has been on the IL for the last three weeks with shoulder soreness. Luzardo has been throwing bullpens and appears on track to be back for the playoffs, but there are still real questions about how much he can give them and how healthy he’ll actually be.
If the Phillies clinch tonight or Saturday, they can simply move Wheeler to Game 1 and settle things down. But if their playoff fate is still up in the air heading into Sunday, the whole rotation advantage they were counting on could be gone.
That would be a welcome turn for the Braves, whether it means facing a compromised Phillies staff or not having to face them at all.
In Other News...
Braves Playoff Rotation Just Lost A Starter At The Worst Time
The Braves playoff rotation took a hit at the worst possible time Monday, when the club announced that Martn Prez is headed to the injured list with lower back inflammation. It is a late setback for a team trying to line up its pitching for October, and it leaves Atlanta with less breathing room than it wanted as the postseason gets underway.
Prez was in position to matter in the NL Wild Card Series, and his absence also carries over into the NLDS if the Braves advance. With only a short window to adjust, Atlanta now has to rethink how it wants to piece together its early-round pitching plans while waiting to see how the rotation picture settles. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Could Dangle Big Names To Fix A Roster Problem
The Braves have already wrapped up the NL East, but the work ahead in Atlanta is likely to be less about celebrating the division title and more about figuring out how to smooth out a roster issue that has lingered beneath the surface. With an offseason in front of them, the front office could have to weigh whether the cleanest path to improvement means moving from a position of depth or from a few recognizable names who still carry real value in the market.
Alex Lodise, Cam Caminiti, Eric Hartman, Ozzie Albies, Spencer Strider and Reynaldo Lopez are among the players mentioned as possible trade candidates, and each brings a different mix of recent performance and contract considerations that could shape how other clubs view them. For the Braves, the calculation is less about attaching a label to any one player and more about deciding which pieces are most useful in solving the problem at hand without weakening the core that got them back to the top of the division. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Leave Cincinnati With One Big October Concern
The Braves spent a weekend in Cincinnati with little left to decide in the standings, but plenty to monitor as October approaches. Ronald Acua Jr. left with a shin contusion, though the early tests came back clean, and Atlanta also got a mixed bag on the field with a shutout loss, a narrow extra-innings win and another close defeat. There were bright spots along the way, including work from pitchers JR Ritchie and Chris Sale, plus contributions from Matt Olson and Austin Riley, but the bigger picture was less about the record than about how the group is holding up.
For a club that already has its division and postseason position locked in, the final tune-ups are about health and rhythm, and Acuas status now sits at the center of that conversation. The Braves do not need to chase anything in the standings, which makes every late-game decision and every awkward step on the bases feel a little more important than usual, especially with October closing in and the margin for error shrinking in a different way. [Read more 🡒]