The Phillies’ Game 2 against the Rays is already starting with a headache, and it has nothing to do with the lineup on the field.
Rain has pushed back first pitch at Tropicana Field, with Philadelphia’s official X account saying the game is now set for 7:50 p.m. ET. The opener had been scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
That delay lands at a rough moment for the Phillies, who are trying to handle a must-win spot with their Magic Number sitting at two and just two games left. The Arizona Diamondbacks have only added to the pressure, riding a six-game winning streak, while Philadelphia’s offense has gone cold.
The weather problem is part of a larger mess across the East Coast. A nor’easter has rolled through the region and already affected multiple MLB series, including Friday doubleheaders between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles and the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. That Cubs-Red Sox series will be finished at Tropicana Field because it has playoff implications, with National League seeding still unsettled.
When the Phillies finally take the field, they’ll be making a notable pitching decision. Aaron Nola is set to start on only two days of rest, a move Philadelphia is making in a desperate spot. He worked Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Brewers, throwing 88 pitches, and the club cut back his usual between-start throwing in anticipation that he might be needed this weekend.
The Phillies do not plan to push Nola through a full starter’s workload. They’re preparing to piece together 27 outs behind him in another bullpen game.
Philadelphia also tweaked its lineup for the game. Trea Turner is back in the leadoff spot despite his struggles at the plate.
Bryce Harper, who has been spending a lot of time in right field lately, is back at first base. With second baseman Luis Arraez dealing with an injury, interim manager Don Mattingly has gone back to a setup he used often before the trade deadline, putting Bryson Stott at second base and Alec Bohm at third base.
In Other News...
Phillies Suddenly Face A Risky Pitching Call In Must-Win Game
With the Phillies down to the final push in the chase for a postseason berth, every inning carries extra weight, and the rotation plan has become a real question as the Magic Number sits at two. Philadelphia still needs to stay ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks, which leaves little room for error and makes Sundays pitching decision feel a lot bigger than a normal late-September start.
A bullpen game is on the table, a sign of how thin the options have become as the club tries to cover enough innings without overtaxing anyone. Aaron Nola could even be used in relief, while Jose Urquidy and Nestor Cortes are among the other possible arms to help piece together the night, leaving the Phillies to navigate one of those tricky spots where getting to the finish line may matter more than the method. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Suddenly Face A Brutal Wild Card Problem
A tight wild card race got even tighter for Philadelphia after the Diamondbacks kept rolling and pulled within a game of the final National League spot, with the tiebreaker already in their favor. That leaves the Phillies in a squeeze at the exact moment the margin for error disappears, especially with so little room left in the standings and every result around them carrying extra weight.
Elsewhere in the playoff picture, Eury Perez turned in a complete-game one-hitter in the Marlins win over the Braves, a sharp reminder of how unpredictable September can be. For the Phillies, the more immediate concern is simple: Arizona is surging, Philadelphia is trying to hold its ground, and the club can no longer assume the cushion will last. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Could Be Headed For Another Ugly Outfield Fix
Luis Arraez left the Phillies game against the Brewers after suffering an ankle sprain, and the club is still sorting out what the injury means beyond the immediate concern of getting him healthy. The longer view matters here, because Philadelphia has already spent plenty of time trying to patch together its outfield and overall lineup mix, leaving little margin for another absence.
If Arraez cannot play, the Phillies may have to reshuffle things again at a time when the roster already feels unstable in the corners and out in the grass. It is the kind of injury update that can ripple quickly through the rest of the lineup, and for a team still searching for cleaner answers, the next few days could bring another awkward fix rather than a simple replacement. [Read more 🡒]