The Philadelphia Phillies are back in October, but their reward for surviving Game 162 is a familiar pitcher who has made their two biggest bats look ordinary.
Atlanta Braves left-hander Chris Sale will start Tuesday’s National League Wild Card Series opener at Truist Park. MLB’s matchup preview lists Bryce Harper at 2-for-21 and Kyle Schwarber at 2-for-25 against Sale in their careers. Together, that is four hits in 46 at-bats, a striking backdrop for a best-of-three series that begins at 2 p.m. ET.
Those are small batter-versus-pitcher samples, not a forecast. Yet the concern goes beyond a few at-bats. Sale went 3-0 with a 2.08 ERA in four starts against Philadelphia this season, according to MLB’s Game 1 preview. The Braves also won nine of their 13 regular-season meetings with the Phillies.
Philadelphia’s Offense Has Little Margin for Error
Don Mattingly’s team needed a 7-3 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday to secure a playoff berth. It had lost four straight games and scored just three runs during that skid, including a 21-inning scoreless stretch, according to MLB’s account of the clincher.
Schwarber supplied a two-run double Sunday, and Harper homered for the first time since Sept. 12. Those swings gave Philadelphia a needed jolt, but Sale represents a far different assignment. He finished with a 2.16 ERA in 27 starts and is making his first postseason appearance since 2021.
The 37-year-old’s left-handed delivery adds another layer for Harper and Schwarber, who hit from the left side. Philadelphia cannot remove its stars from the heart of a postseason lineup. The question is whether they can extend at-bats, reach base and force Sale to face the rest of the order with runners aboard.
What Could Change the Matchup in Game 1
MLB’s projected Game 1 order places Trea Turner ahead of Schwarber and Harper, with Alec Bohm behind them. It is only a projection: Mattingly has shuffled his order, and the club has not announced a final lineup. That uncertainty matters because one baserunner ahead of either slugger could turn a mistake into multiple runs.
J.T. Realmuto’s RBI double Sunday broke an 0-for-34 slump. Bryson Stott also doubled in a run in the first inning. If those supporting bats carry the momentum to Atlanta, Sale will have less room to work around the middle of the order. Philadelphia needs more than a one-swing answer in a short series.
Sale’s postseason record offers a counterpoint. MLB lists a 7.24 ERA in seven career playoff starts, with fewer than five innings completed in four. That history does not erase his 2026 dominance. It does make the opening innings worth watching: Can Philadelphia stretch his pitch count and capitalize if its stars get a chance?
Harper said after Sunday’s clincher that everything resets in October. Tuesday offers the quickest test of that outlook. The regular-season matchup belonged to Sale, but this best-of-three series will be decided by what happens now.
Phillies’ Two Biggest Bats Face a Brutal Chris Sale Test