ATLANTA – In a winner-take-all Game 3 of the National League wild card series against the Atlanta Braves, the Phillies have announced Aaron Nola as their starting pitcher. After that, it’s “all hands on deck,” per interim manager Don Mattingly.
You can count out Cristopher Sánchez after throwing 116 pitches in Game 2. Everyone else will have a seat at some point inside the visiting bullpen.
“You can kind of count on everybody that’s able to throw today to be available to throw today,” Mattingly said.
The Phillies have their circle of trust. The best case scenario is for the Phillies to get off to a big lead early and throw Nola out there for as long as he can pitch. That would save some pitching for a potential Game 1 of the National League Division Series in Los Angeles against the Dodgers on Saturday afternoon.
But it rarely works that way in the postseason. The Phillies will see left-hander Ray Kerr at the start of the game. He could face the top of the order, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, twice. Right-hander Grant Holmes is expected to follow him.
The Braves, like the Phillies, also have a narrow circle of trust. Closer Raisel Iglesias, after throwing a combined 15 pitches in the first two games, should be available. Didier Fuentes (21 pitches) could also throw again, although he hasn’t looked sharp in either of his outings.
The Braves may be hesitant to go to Dylan Lee again after giving up back-to-back home runs to Schwarber and Harper. Robert Suárez, who has thrown only two innings since going down with an elbow injury in later June, might be a factor. Maybe Chris Sale can give the Braves an inning, although Atlanta has been careful all year about giving him extra rest between starts.
With both teams facing elimination, the Phillies might have better options available to them. Alex McFarlane is the only Phillie working on back-to-back days. Zack Wheeler is the best option to come in and throw multiple innings after Nola.
If Nola struggles early, it could be Wheeler’s game. Jesús Luzardo could also be available after pitching in Game 1. If he’s not used and the Phillies win, he could be a candidate to make a short start on three-days’ rest in Game 1 of the NLDS. He would be on regular rest for Game 2.
Jhoan Duran, who was unavailable Wednesday after pitching two innings and giving up the lead late on Tuesday, is the biggest question mark. The Phillies feel better about his availability now.
“He feels better today than yesterday, that’s a good sign,” Mattingly said. “But he still hadn’t played catch at that point. We’ll let him play catch. All our guys, the same way. We’ll let them go through, then we decide.”
