The Phillies are close enough to the postseason that every turn through the rotation is starting to matter in a different way.
Philadelphia enters its series with the Milwaukee Brewers holding the No. 3 Wild Card spot.
The club sits one game back of both the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, and it is four games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Magic Number is three, though the Phillies do not own the tiebreaker over Arizona.
For now, interim manager Don Mattingly has only locked in two starters: Zack Wheeler will go Tuesday against Milwaukee, and Aaron Nola is lined up for Thursday.
That leaves Andrew Painter as the next man up, at least on paper. He is tentatively set to start Thursday, but that plan could shift once the Phillies know more about their playoff status.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic reported that if Philadelphia has already clinched by the time Painter’s turn arrives, the club could alter the schedule because Painter is not expected to be part of the postseason rotation in the first round.
The Phillies would only need three starters in the NLWC, and those jobs would go to Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola in whatever order Mattingly chooses. Painter would only become relevant in the playoff rotation if the team somehow needed a fourth starter and Jesus Luzardo was not available to handle that role.
“Andrew Painter’s next turn is scheduled for Thursday. If the Phillies have clinched by then, they could start someone else (Nestor Cortes?)
to allow Painter a trial run as a reliever. Mattingly said that is something he’d like to try, if possible,” Gelb wrote.
If the Phillies still have not clinched by then, Painter would likely stay in the rotation. In that scenario, Cortes could be used in Luzardo’s place, with bullpen games and Tim Mayza as the opener having filled that spot the last two times through.
Philadelphia also has Jose Urquidy as another possible option. He was claimed off waivers from the Chicago White Sox last week and impressed in his team debut. Since he is not eligible for the playoff roster, the Phillies could use him once more and then waive him to open a spot for a fresher arm.
Painter has already worked out of the bullpen twice in 2026 as the bulk-inning pitcher behind an opener. That is not the same as a straight relief role, but it does give him at least some experience entering a game in the middle of the action.
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