It did in the seventh inning on Saturday — a single, a hit-by-pitch, a strikeout, a pop-up, and then a sound that flattened the night: Teoscar Hernández connecting on a 92 mph fastball and sending it into the right-center seats.
That swing didn’t just erase a lead. It rewrote the tone of the National League Division Series.
And somewhere beyond the right-field fence, Ranger Suárez was still stretching in the bullpen.
Manager Rob Thomson had a script. Cristopher Sánchez, the breakout lefty, would handle Game 1. Jesús Luzardo would get the ball in Game 2. Suárez — a 3.20 ERA starter this season — would stay loose in case things went haywire early or if extra innings demanded his calm.
Neither happened.
Instead, Thomson trusted 17-year veteran David Robertson to open the seventh after closing the sixth. A single by Andy Pages. A hit-by-pitch to Will Smith. Then Matt Strahm entered, retired two batters, and missed his spot on that fateful fastball.
And the Phillies, who seemed ready to seize control of the series, were suddenly staring uphill.
On Sunday morning, Thomson made it clear: no regrets.
“I think we played it exactly the way I wanted to play it,” Thomson said. “And we talked about that situation going into the game, and D-Rob, in my mind, was the guy to go to there and stay with him, even though he hadn’t done an up-down all year. … Strahm, for the most part, did his job. He got the strikeout and the popup and made a mistake. Just didn’t hit his spot. And that’s going to happen every once in a while.”
That’s the manager’s creed in October — stick to the plan, even when the plan burns.
After a day to reset, Thomson said nearly every arm will be available for Monday’s Game 2 — including both of his potential Game 3 starters, Suárez and Aaron Nola.
“I think we’ll have probably everybody available, really,” Thomson said. “Other than Sánchie. And then we’ll figure out Game 3 if we use everybody. … I’m talking about Ranger and Nola being available. We’d probably use only one of those guys unless we absolutely have to, just so that the other guy can start Game 3.”
It’s a delicate balance: win now, but don’t burn tomorrow.
This is not uncharted territory for Suárez. He’s been the Phillies’ utility ace before — starting; relieving; closing. He finished the 2022 NLCS by getting Bryce Harper’s glove-pointing moment to history. He even served as closer briefly in 2021.
But this October is different. He’s established himself as one of baseball’s most dependable left-handed starters, and the Phillies built their postseason rotation around him. For his career, he has a 1.43 postseason ERA over 37 2/3 innings. Still, if Monday turns chaotic, Thomson won’t hesitate to break glass.
If that happens, it could take him out of line for Game 3 — pushing Nola forward instead. Nola’s track record still carries weight, even after a 6.01 ERA in 17 starts this season, though his final outing — eight strong innings against Minnesota — hinted at life.
That’s Thomson’s tightrope — manage like every game is the season, knowing it might still stretch three more.
For now, Game 2 is Luzardo’s. The 26-year-old lefty logged a 3.92 ERA over 32 starts and finished the regular season strong — a 3.21 ERA in September while averaging seven innings per outing.
There were hiccups, sure — 20 earned runs across two brutal starts, an August meltdown against the Mets that ended with an ejection — but Thomson believes the pitcher who shows up Monday will be different.
“I think he’s grown,” Thomson said. “He’s learned over the course of the year how to slow it down, and especially in this environment. So I’m super confident that he’s going to be ready to go, and he’ll be able to handle the task and handle the emotional part of the game.”
Somewhere between trust and urgency, the Phillies’ season now rides on Luzardo’s calm and Suárez’s readiness.
That’s the hope. That Luzardo calms the chaos. That Suárez, waiting again, gets the nod in Game 3.
Extra pressure?
“No, not really,” Luzardo said. “It’s just another game. In the grand scheme of things, there’s been a lot of series this year we ended up winning after losing Game 1. That’s the mentality we have to take. Obviously you want to get a win, especially at home. We’ve been the best team in baseball at home. So there’s a reason for that.”
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