The Philadelphia Phillies secured a 3-0 win over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday night.
However, they have a quick turnaround as they begin a massive four-game series against the New York Mets on Thursday night.
Ahead of the matchup, which will feature right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola for Philadelphia and Nolan McLean for the Mets, Phillies manager Don Mattingly made some sudden changes to the back end of his lineup.
Phillies Make Sudden J.T. Realmuto Decision
After being in the lineup on Wednesday and striking out twice across four at-bats, Mattingly is electing to keep Realmuto out of the starting lineup as Garrett Stubbs will get the nod behind the plate for Nola.
Stubbs will bat in the nine-hole, with outfielders J.P. Crawford and Brandon Marsh batting in front of him.
Here’s the full Phillies lineup:
Via Underdog MLB: “Phillies 9/17 K. Schwarber DH T. Turner SS B. Harper RF L. Arraez 2B A. Bohm 1B B. Stott 3B B. Marsh LF J. Crawford CF G. Stubbs C A. Nola SP.”
Phillies 9/17
K. Schwarber DH
T. Turner SS
B. Harper RF
L. Arraez 2B
A. Bohm 1B
B. Stott 3B
B. Marsh LF
J. Crawford CF
G. Stubbs CA. Nola SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 17, 2026
Realmuto’s 2026 Season
In his 13th MLB season, it’s been somewhat of a down year for the veteran catcher, who hasn’t been able to find much of a rhythm at the plate.
He’s appeared in 114 games this season. And across 385 at-bats, he’s hitting just .218 while recording 50 runs, 84 hits, 11 home runs, and 49 RBIs.
Looking at the Phillies
Philadelphia enters Thursday’s series opener with an 84-68 overall record, which has them 4.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.
They’re a half-game back of the Chicago Cubs for the top Wild Card spot. This would land them a best-of-three series at home rather than on the road in the first round of the postseason.
Philadelphia Phillies Make Sudden J.T. Realmuto Decision Before Mets Series