The Phillies climbed onto their charter out of Los Angeles lugging two very different souvenirs: a 5-0 loss to the Dodgers and a six-and-a-half game cushion in the standings that actually matter. That’s how you can lose on the scoreboard and still win on the flight home.
Thanks to owning the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Phils essentially control the race for the National League’s No. 2 seed — a golden ticket to a first-round bye, four days to line up the rotation, and home-field advantage in the NLDS. So while the Dodgers walked off Wednesday night’s finale, the Phillies walked away knowing they’re still in the driver’s seat.
But let’s get to the part of the flight where everyone’s flipping through the rotation chart.
Rob Thomson announced Wednesday that Taijuan Walker and Walker Buehler — yes, the Phillies now have a Walker/Buehler combo — will piggyback Friday night’s series opener in Arizona. Aaron Nola follows on Saturday. Ranger Suárez gets the ball on Sunday. Then Cristopher Sánchez returns Tuesday against the Marlins at Citizens Bank Park, which sets him up to start the Sept. 28 regular-season finale against Minnesota … and Game 1 of the Division Series on Oct. 4, on five days’ rest.
It’s a plan built on flexibility — and on lefties.
It’s a plan built on flexibility — and on lefties.
Right now, the three best starters in this rotation are Suárez, Sánchez, and Jesús Luzardo. All left-handed. And in a five-game Division Series, all you really need is three. Sánchez could pitch Games 1 and 4. Suárez or Luzardo could start Game 2, then come back in a potential Game 5. The schedule even gifts them an extra off day after the opener, allowing teams to roll with three starters instead of four.
Which brings us to the intrigue: what happens with Walker, Buehler, and especially Aaron Nola?
Which brings us to the intrigue: what happens with Walker, Buehler, and especially Aaron Nola?
Thomson hinted the Phils could keep running out that Walker/Buehler piggyback, maybe even flipping the order. Either way, both could wind up as multi-inning weapons in October, the kind of arms that can save a bullpen in a 13-inning marathon. Whether both make the roster is still a question. But the idea of Buehler in a leverage spot in the seventh inning isn’t far-fetched.
And then there’s Nola. For years, he was the October anchor. Now he’s the riddle. He hasn’t pitched well enough to warrant a Division Series start. He’s also never pitched out of the bullpen in his career. That makes him more likely a Game 4 starter in a potential NLCS than a Game 2 starter in an NLDS. He has two more turns left in September to change that script.
So yes, the Phillies may have left Dodger Stadium with a shutout loss. But they also left with the map to October — a rotation puzzle still in motion, a Walker/Buehler wrinkle that sounds like a movie sequel, and the real possibility that Dodger Stadium will be their stage again in three weeks.
And then there’s Nola. For years, he was the October anchor. Now he’s the riddle. He hasn’t pitched well enough to warrant a Division Series start. He’s also never pitched out of the bullpen in his career. That makes him more likely a Game 4 starter in a potential NLCS than a Game 2 starter in an NLDS. He has two more turns left in September to change that script.
So yes, the Phillies may have left Dodger Stadium with a shutout loss. But they also left with the map to October — a rotation puzzle still in motion, a Walker/Buehler wrinkle that sounds like a movie sequel, and the real possibility that Dodger Stadium will be their stage again in three weeks.
Only next time, the curtain goes up on Game 3 of the Division Series.
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