ATLANTA — The Phillies bought themselves one more night at Truist Park with a 4-3, 10-inning comeback over the Braves, but the win also left Don Mattingly and his staff staring at a pitching board with nearly every magnet in play.
Philadelphia’s interim manager, pitching coach Caleb Cotham and the club’s other decision-makers were set to meet after Wednesday’s Game 2 victory to settle on a starter for Thursday’s winner-take-all Game 3 of the National League Wild Card Series.
The game is scheduled for NBC and Peacock. First pitch will be at 2 p.m. ET unless Phillies-Braves is the last Wild Card Series still underway, in which case it moves into the 8 p.m. ET window.
Philadelphia has options, and little room for hesitation
Aaron Nola had been lined up as the likely Game 3 starter if the series reached this point. Mattingly said earlier in the week that Nola was preparing for the assignment, but the Phillies have reached the stage of October where the conventional plan can change quickly.
Zack Wheeler is the looming alternative. The ace threw 97 pitches in Sunday’s regular-season finale, a game that carried elimination stakes for Philadelphia, and a short-rest start cannot be ruled out. Even if Wheeler does not take the ball for the first pitch, it would be difficult to envision the Phillies going through a season-ending game without using him from the bullpen.
“It’s another elimination game,” Mattingly said. “Three of the last four have essentially been elimination games, so it should be all hands on deck.”
Nola’s recent body of work gives Philadelphia reason to trust him, despite a rough short-rest appearance against Tampa Bay on Saturday. He yielded three runs on four hits in one inning during a 12-1 loss. Before Sunday, however, Nola had posted a 3.12 ERA over his last 15 starts after carrying a 6.04 mark through his first 17 outings, ending June 29.
Atlanta has handled Nola reasonably well this season. In three starts against the Braves, he recorded a 4.50 ERA.
Luzardo and Painter raise their hands
Jesús Luzardo, who started Tuesday’s Game 1 loss, is available to work in relief. The left-hander moved quietly toward the bullpen late in Wednesday’s game in case the Phillies needed him in extra innings.
Rookie right-hander Andrew Painter already made a major contribution to the Game 2 escape, throwing three scoreless innings out of the bullpen to earn the victory. At 23, he made clear that fatigue will not be part of his Game 3 calculation.
“Everything is on the line,” Painter said. “Luzardo would give me a hard time if I said no. I’m 23, and he tells me I should be ready every day.”
That availability gives the Phillies a possible bulk-relief lane behind Nola, Wheeler or any other starter they choose. It also reflects the urgency of a club that has spent most of the week playing with its season hanging in the balance.
Duran remains the bullpen question
The uncertain piece is closer Jhoan Duran. He logged 27 pitches across two innings in the Game 1 defeat and was unavailable for Game 2.
Duran played catch Wednesday afternoon and signaled that he was not feeling fully right. He hoped pregame treatment might improve the situation, but he did not recover enough to pitch in the 10-inning win.
“We’ll see where he is tomorrow,” Mattingly said.
For Philadelphia, Thursday will not be about preserving anyone for the next round. Nola may start. Wheeler may be asked to carry the biggest outs. Luzardo and Painter have offered their arms. Duran’s status remains unsettled. After clawing back from a Game 1 loss, the Phillies have one game left to decide how far their October continues.
