Phillies make desperate pitching move after wild-card lead shrinks to one game

2 days ago 7

The Philadelphia Phillies entered the final weekend of the regular season expecting to celebrate a postseason berth. Instead, a September slide has left them fighting to avoid a stunning collapse.

With their National League wild-card advantage down to one game over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia will turn to Aaron Nola on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays. Nola will make the unusual start on just two days’ rest.

The veteran right-hander last pitched Wednesday against Milwaukee, allowing Philadelphia to stay competitive while striking out eight over six innings in a 4-1 loss. Nola enters Saturday at 7-11 with a 4.54 ERA.

Philadelphia has since dropped two more games, falling to 9-13 in September. The Phillies’ magic number remained at two entering Saturday, while Arizona was scheduled to face San Diego later in the evening.

Nola gets stunning assignment as Phillies’ September nightmare gets worse

Manager Don Mattingly believes Nola is uniquely equipped to handle the unconventional assignment.

“If anybody’s built for this,” Mattingly said, “it’s probably Nola. He’s a guy that’s probably more old-school than anybody.”

Nola skipped his normal bullpen session Friday, but Philadelphia may still limit his workload. Mattingly noted Nola typically throws between 40 and 50 pitches during bullpen sessions between starts.

The Phillies’ problems extend beyond their pitching rotation.

Philadelphia has scored just two runs over its last 27 innings and has only one home run across its previous 55 innings. The club was shut out for the 12th time this season in Friday’s 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay.

J.T. Realmuto has also struggled through an 0-for-32 stretch, dropping his batting average to .206, while NL batting leader Luis Arraez remains sidelined with a severely sprained left ankle.

If Philadelphia cannot clinch Saturday, Zack Wheeler could start Sunday. That decision, however, could prevent the ace from being available early in the NL Wild Card Series.

What once appeared inevitable has suddenly become a desperate fight for Philadelphia’s postseason survival.