The Phillies are heading into their Wild Card Round matchup with the Braves knowing exactly how tough this assignment is going to be. Philadelphia dropped nine of 13 meetings with Atlanta in the regular season, and now the question is whether the postseason can produce a different result.
If the Phillies are going to get through, they’ll need contributions from all over the roster. A few names stand out as especially important, starting with the arms and matchup bats that could swing the series.
Philadelphia’s bullpen has been a problem, so interim manager Don Mattingly is expected to lean on it as little as possible. One reliever who has earned some trust is Alex McFarlane.
The rookie brings heat, and he’ll be asked to handle important innings in this series. His first crack at a high-pressure spot didn’t go smoothly, when he allowed a game-tying three-run homer to Ronald Acuna Jr.
He recovered from that outing, pitched better down the stretch, and now figures to help form the bridge to closer Jhoan Duran.
Another player who could matter in a big way is Edmundo Sosa. When Luis Arraez left the team’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers last week, Sosa stepped in, and he’ll be expected to keep producing in this series whether he’s at third base or in the outfield.
Losing him from the bench also takes away some of the late-game flexibility Mattingly likes to have, but Sosa has a history of delivering in key moments. Philadelphia will need that again.
The Phillies’ issues against left-handed pitching have shaped the way Mattingly is lining up his team, and that approach is carrying into the postseason. Derek Hill and Bryan De La Cruz are in the outfield alongside Bryce Harper, while Brandon Marsh and Justin Crawford are available off the bench, just as they have been for much of the season against southpaws.
Even if Hill and De La Cruz aren’t in the lineup every day, they still loom large in the plan. If they hit, it gives Philadelphia a much better chance.
Game 2 brings another huge spot, and it belongs to Cristopher Sanchez. He is the only piece of the pitching plan that is locked in, with the Phillies set to start him in that game and sort out the rest as they go.
That’s the kind of assignment that can either keep a season alive or send a team into the Division Series. Sanchez hasn’t been at his sharpest in some recent outings, but Philadelphia still has complete faith in him when the pressure is at its highest.
And then there’s Bryce Harper, who remains the center of everything Philadelphia wants to do offensively. The Phillies’ run production has been uneven all season.
They looked strong in August, then faded in September, and that slump played a major role in their fight to reach the postseason. Harper has still been their most reliable source of offense, and he has adjusted his approach at the plate while drawing an NL-high 107 walks.
Getting on base matters, but the Phillies need more than that from him now. They need him to drive the ball, carry the lineup, and keep the offense moving if they want to survive the Braves.
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Braves Roster Choice Just Changed This Phillies Wild Card Matchup
The Braves made their Wild Card Series roster move with the kind of caution that usually comes with October baseball, adding Luke Williams and Rowdy Tellez from Gwinnett while carrying 11 pitchers into the short series. It is a setup that says plenty about how Atlanta expects to play this round, with a roster built around starting pitching and selective use of the bench rather than a long, rolling relief plan.
For the Phillies, the opponents roster construction matters because it shapes how the matchup may unfold from the first game on. Atlanta is also expected to be without Martin Perez and Lane Thomas because of injuries, which trims some of the depth the Braves would normally lean on in a tight playoff series. The result is a familiar October tension for Philadelphia, one where the numbers on the roster card may matter almost as much as the names in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Face Immediate Pressure After Game 1 Gamble Backfires
Jess Luzardo gave the Phillies a chance to settle in, working well enough to keep the opener tight against Atlanta before the game turned on a sequence the club cant afford to relive. Don Mattingly chose to lean hard on Jhoan Duran in Game 1 of the Wild Card Round, asking the closer to cover multiple innings in a high-stakes spot, and the decision looked viable until the game unraveled around a defensive misplay by Trea Turner and the hits that followed.
Austin Rileys game-winning home run finished the Braves comeback and left Philadelphia with an urgent problem as the series shifts forward. Now the Phillies have to win two straight to keep moving, and they may have to do it with Duran either unavailable or not fully right for Game 2, which puts even more pressure on a roster that already spent its best late-game weapon in a night that got away. [Read more 🡒]
Walt Weiss Sends A Clear Message Before Braves Phillies Showdown
The Braves finally locked up the NL East and punched their ticket to the postseason, then celebrated the division win after beating the Astros. It was a familiar kind of finish for a club that has spent the summer chasing another first-place finish, and it sets up a quick turnaround as the Wild Card Series opens Tuesday afternoon.
For Philadelphia, the timing adds another layer to a rivalry that already carries plenty of October weight. Walt Weiss made clear his team is not interested in worrying about the start time or the opponent, only about being ready when the next round begins. However the bracket settles, the Braves have put themselves in position to keep playing, and the Phillies now know the path ahead includes a division rival that sounds prepared for anything. [Read more 🡒]