The Philadelphia Phillies trailed 2-1 in the top of the seventh inning of their Game 1 matchup against the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card Series on Tuesday afternoon.
However, veteran catcher J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run triple to give the Phillies a 3-2 lead, which they carried into the bottom of the eighth with two outs on the board.
At that point, Atlanta had two runners on, Austin Riley up to bat, and usual closer Jhoan Duran on the mound for his second inning after interim manager Don Mattingly decided to put him in during the seventh and continued to ride him.
Riley went on to hit a go-ahead three-run homer that ultimately led to a 5-3 Braves victory.
Mattingly Addresses Decision to Keep Duran In
While Duran is one of the best closers in the game, he only pitched multiple innings once all season, and leaving him in for a full eighth and 25-plus pitches was certainly a move that many didn’t understand.
Mattingly explained his decision after the game, saying he felt Duran was the best option in that spot.
“We talked about it before the game. If we were at the top, go seventh, eighth,” Mattingly said when asked what the plan was for Duran. “He made it look easy the first inning, if the second went really quick I would’ve just checked with him, if not we would’ve just went with somebody else.
“Anytime you lose a game late, obviously it’s frustrating,” he added. “But in our minds, we had our best guy out there, you live with this one.”
“It’s frustrating. But in our minds, we had our best guy out there, you live with this one.”
Don Mattingly explains the decision to go with Jhoan Duran for the 7th and 8th inning of today’s Game 1 loss in Atlanta.
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Looking at the Phillies Ahead of Game 2
Philadelphia now has its back against the wall, and its bullpen will certainly be a question mark for Game 2, as Duran will likely not be available unless it’s in a very limited role.
On the mound for the Phillies, however, will be ace Cristopher Sanchez, and if they’re going to extend this series to Thursday, Sanchez will likely have to go fairly deep into the game on Wednesday afternoon.
Don Mattingly Makes Honest Jhoan Duran Statement After Phillies’ Game 1 Loss