The Phillies took all 162 games to punch their postseason ticket. They bested the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday with a final of 7-3 and now face the Atlanta Braves for a three-game Wild Card Series at Truist Park starting Tuesday. The Phillies' starting rotation is their strength heading into a shortened playoff series, and they will need to flex it mightily if they want to have a Red October back at Citizens Bank Park this postseason. Even with a messy ending to their regular season, here's how the Phillies should stack up their rotation for the next three games to take down the their division.
The Phillies had to burn Zack Wheeler in Game 162, so that creates some additional uncertainty of where he fits into the Wild Card picture. There are also some other guys who have stepped up to make this a more daunting task.
Phillies have a blueprint for starting rotation to best the Braves in three-game series
Game 1 was just confirmed as a Jesús Luzardo "opener" appearance, and the best possible answer behind him is to lean on rookie Andrew Painter for bulk work. Since his return from demotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he's looked more like the young prodigy the Phillies hoped for. Across his last 11 starts, Painter holds a 3.65 ERA and 3.78 FIP. With the shuffling around of starters the Phillies have to do because of their late clinch, Painter appearing on normal rest will be key to trying to extend this stretch of solid baseball. It's also notable the last time Painter faced the Braves on Sep. 13, he only gave up one run across five innings.
Luzardo only threw four total pitches in his activation from the injured list on Sunday, so his role may be best suited for eating some valuable innings at the outset, handing the ball to Painter, then finding a way to closer Jhoan Duran as the Phillies seek to use the fewest pitchers possible. Luzardo finished 2026 with a 2.85 ERA, the best among the Phillies' starters. The Braves will have Chris Sale to summon for Game 1, but this plan may be crazy enough to work if they can fend off the Cy Young winner.
Game 2 is all Cristopher Sánchez's to take. After a stellar beginning followed by a rough stretch after his 50 2/3 scoreless innings streak, Sánchez may still be one of the best pitchers in the league to pitch a Game 2 in the postseason. He still finished with a 2.91 ERA and an NL-leading 18 wins, so the Phillies still expect to see the best Sánchez has to offer, hopefully with a 1-0 series lead.
The Phillies could go with Aaron Nola for Game 3 after his massive turnaround down the stretch, but as long as Zack Wheeler is feeling good and healthy enough to start, he should be the one to take the ball in an elimination game, regardless of whether he's on short rest or not. He has yet again been their ace when they needed him most, and a potential Game 3 calls for all hands on deck. If Phillies fans could put their money on anyone in a do-or-die game, Wheeler would be that man.
The Braves are a top-10 offense in MLB, but the Phillies can counter with their excellent starting staff. Anything can happen in a three-game series. The Phillies avoided an all-time collapse in September, and that alone can fuel the idea that no one believes in them. This club has a similar feeling to 2022. No one saw them coming, and let's hope this team can start with the same momentum starting Tuesday.
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