With their season potentially on the line, the Phillies will have a bullpen game. Aaron Nola will start against the Tampa Bay Rays, per The Athletic‘s Matt Gelb.
Aaron Nola starting a game is not surprising, but rather the rest. He last pitched on September 23 against the Milwaukee Brewers. That means he’ll start this game on just two days’ rest, as Gelb points out.
The likely reason for the move is that the right-hander would have had his bullpen session between starts. But with the Phillies’ lead down to just one game, they’ll ask the veteran to give them a couple of innings in an actual game.
It’s a risky gamble, but the Phillies have few options with an exhausted bullpen limping through the season’s final stretch.
What the Aaron Nola News Means for the Phillies
The Aaron Nola announcement shows that the final two games are an all-hands-on-deck situation. Their Wild Card lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks has evaporated to one game.
This won’t be a traditional start for Nola, so he’s essentially an opener. At most, he can probably offer Philadelphia 45-50 pitches. But if he can give them three innings, it could set up the rest of their bullpen.
MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki reports that Nola chose to skip his between-starts bullpen. He typically throws 40-50 pitches in those sessions.
They could turn to veteran starter Jose Urquidy afterward. The right-hander went 4.2 scoreless innings in his Phillies debut on September 19.
Philadelphia is without its traditional opener of choice, Tim Mayza. Mayza has worked in three of the last four games. So they’ll save the left-hander for Game 162. Otherwise, the rest of their bullpen should be available.
Jonathan Bowlan’s health could also determine how the Phillies try to get through this game. The right-hander is dealing with a groin injury, but it hasn’t required an injured list stint. Bowlan hasn’t pitched since September 17.
Regardless of their pitching plans, they’ll need more from their starting lineup. The Phillies have scored a total of two runs in their last three games. They need their star hitters at the top of their lineup to shake their slumps.
Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Bryce Harper have an OPS under .675 in the last seven days.
Phillies Right Now
The Phillies can still clinch the National League’s final Wild Card spot today. They need to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, plus a loss by the Diamondbacks to the San Diego Padres.
The club has been in that position for the last three days. However, they’ve lost three straight, and Arizona is on a six-game winning streak.
There still exists one scenario in which the Phillies can clinch home-field advantage in the Wild Card Series. But that means they’d have to clinch their postseason spot in Game 162.
Philadelphia and Arizona would have to win out, and the Boston Red Sox would have to defeat the Chicago Cubs. That would give the Phillies a record of 89-73, and they’d finish ahead of the Padres via head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Phillies game starts at 7:15 p.m. ET, while the Diamondbacks game starts at 8:40 p.m. ET.
Phillies Announce Surprising Starting Pitcher Decision Before Rays Bullpen Game