The Philadelphia Phillies are on the brink of a truly epic collapse, one that could have significant long-term ramifications for the club if it comes to pass. The final two games of the regular season will decide whether or not they sneak into the postseason by the skin of their teeth, or if they’ll go down in franchise history as the worst choke artists since 1964.
The team isn’t trying to hide their panic anymore, as evidenced by the risky-at-best decision to start Aaron Nola on Saturday night after just two days' rest. Even if it succeeds, such a desperate gambit should remind fans that the Phillies should never have let it get to this point.
The Phillies will see how far they can push Aaron Nola on two days’ rest, Don Mattingly said. He could throw 40-50 pitches. Maybe more. Maybe less.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) September 26, 2026
“If anybody’s built for this, it’s probably Nola,” Mattingly said. “He is a guy who is more old school than anybody.”
Nola has lived a few different lives this season, beginning the year as perhaps the worst starting pitcher in all of baseball, but remarkably turning his fortunes around in the second half. The franchise icon hasn’t just been decent since the calendar flipped to August, he’s been downright dominant.
In 10 starts since then the 33-year-old has posted a dazzling 2.54 ERA across 60 ⅓ innings pitched, punching out 61 batters along the way. Nola has been both the single greatest liability, and a much-needed life preserver for the Phillies at different points this season. Fortunately, he’s on a heater now when they need him most.
Phillies' desperate move to start Aaron Nola on short rest should remind fans of just how colossally they've failed
The Phils are teetering on the edge of a franchise-altering meltdown, and they’ve now put themselves in a position where they need to win at least one, if not both of their final two games. Ace Zack Wheeler will most likely be able to start Sunday on short rest if needed, but Saturday’s contest was slated to be a bullpen game with recent arrival José Urquidy set to chew through the bulk of the innings. Urquidy, who has a 4.91 ERA on the season, should not be counted upon to deliver a victory with the season on the line.
In steps Nola, who interim manager Don Mattingly has tabbed to start game 161 with just two days separating him from his last outing on Wednesday; a contest in which he expended 88 pitches over six innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. Mattingly’s roll of the dice should be viewed less as malpractice, despite its obvious potential for failure, but more sign of the organization’s desperation in the midst of such peril.
For the Phillies and their playoff hopes everything comes down to the Diamondbacks. The Phils are currently one game ahead of the Snakes in the Wild Card standings for the sixth and final spot. Arizona has been red-hot lately, entering Saturday on a six-game winning streak, while the Phillies have dropped their last three contests.
The equation is simple: two more wins and the Phillies are in the dance, no matter what the D-Backs do. If the Phils win just one, they’ll be fine as long as Arizona doesn’t win both. If the Snakes win out, the Phillies will need to match them, otherwise the ever-complicated tiebreaker format will favor Arizona and leave the Phils on the outside looking in.
With any luck, Nola and his compatriots will deliver a victory tonight while the Diamondbacks lose, and champagne can be sprayed long into the night. Such a scenario would allow Sunday to serve as a rest day for the Phillies’ regulars, setting them up much better for a Wild Card matchup in Atlanta against the reviled Braves.
However, if Mattingly’s boys once again drop the ball, it’ll be all hands on deck for Sunday’s affair as the Phillies desperately hope to keep 2026 from becoming another 1964.
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