The Phillies turned a bad week into a full-blown pitching puzzle.
After dropping the final two games of their series against the Milwaukee Brewers, they not only left the Arizona Diamondbacks hanging around in the Wild Card race, they also complicated the way their rotation could line up if they do get into October.
Going into the final regular-season series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the plan had been to start Christopher Sánchez, José Urquidy, and Zack Wheeler over the weekend. The cleanest version of that setup would have moved Wheeler out of the regular-season finale and into Game 1 of the Wild Card Series in Atlanta.
That only works if the Phillies already have a playoff berth secured. If they’re still battling for their postseason lives on the last day of the season, Wheeler has to pitch. And if that happens, Don Mattingly would be left trying to piece together a less-than-ideal rotation for the Braves, assuming the Phillies even get there.
Friday’s loss behind Sánchez only made the situation tighter.
If Wheeler has to go Sunday and the Phillies still advance, the first-round rotation could end up being Aaron Nola, Sánchez, and Andrew Painter.
Not ideal.
One piece of good news: Sánchez will be on regular rest for Game 2 of the Wild Card Series. If the Phillies make the bracket, he’s guaranteed to start one of those three games.
The bigger problem is that Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo are not both guaranteed to be available. Luzardo has been on the injured list with a shoulder issue for the past few weeks.
He recently threw a “problem-free” bullpen session, but after nearly a month away without a rehab assignment, the Phillies aren’t going to ask him to start. At best, he could be used as a piggyback reliever if another starter runs into trouble.
There is a possible workaround for the Wheeler issue: ask him to start Game 3 of the Wild Card Round on short rest. But that only helps if the Phillies actually make it to that game, and it would mean sending Wheeler out in a sudden-death spot on three days’ rest. That’s still a better option than leaning on rookie Andrew Painter to handle the Braves in that kind of situation.
Mattingly and the Phillies have already said they plan to “use as few pitchers as possible” in the postseason, which means unusual pitching decisions are probably coming no matter what. The only thing they can really control now is Sunday - and even that has become a problem. The Phillies need a win and a Diamondbacks loss on Saturday, and they’ve left themselves with no room to breathe.
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 🡒]