The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off a 1-0 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, which wrapped up their series as they ended up winning two out of three.
Now, while they have a day off Thursday, they’re gearing up for a massive four-game weekend series against the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves, who currently hold a 4.0-game lead over the Phillies in the division.
Ahead of Friday’s game, the Phillies and Braves have both listed their probable starting pitchers via MLB.com.
Phillies Announce Probable Starters
Friday: LHP Cristopher Sanchez (16-4, 2.52 ERA, 202 strikeouts) vs. LHP Chris Sale (13-9, 2.06 ERA, 177 strikeouts)
Saturday: RHP Zack Wheeler (11-5, 3.31 ERA, 154 strikeouts) vs. LHP Martin Perez (8-8, 3.05 ERA, 91 strikeouts)
Sunday: RHP Aaron Nola (6-10, 4.93 ERA, 157 strikeouts) vs. RHP Tyler Mahle (5-10, 4.25 ERA, 121 strikeouts)
Monday: LHP Jesus Luzardo (13-5, 3.02 ERA, 209 strikeouts) vs. RHP Bryce Elder (4.11 ERA, 121 strikeouts)
#Braves victory in Washington coupled with Phillies loss to Arizona means Atlanta carries a 4-game lead in the NL East standings into the 4-game showdown in Philadelphia this weekend.
FRI – Sale vs. Sanchez
SAT – Perez vs. Wheeler
SUN – Mahle vs. Nola
MON – Elder vs. Luzardo— Grant McAuley (@grantmcauley) September 2, 2026
Phillies 2026 Pitching
The Phillies have set things up to have their top two pitchers in the rotation anchor the beginning of the series.
Sanchez leads the team in ERA and wins this season, while Luzardo has recorded the most strikeouts on the team.
As a team, they’ve held opponents to a .251 batting average and entered their series finale against the Diamondbacks with the most combined strikeouts in the majors.
They’ve struggled at times with the back end of the rotation, particularly Nola and, as of late, Andrew Painter. However, Nola has begun to pitch very well, and if he can return to his old form in any capacity, the Phillies would be a challenging out in any postseason series.
Philadelphia is currently 79-61 and would hold the second of three Wild Card spots if the season ended today.
Philadelphia Phillies Announce Starting Pitchers for Pivotal Series Against Braves