Rob Thomson sat in front of the backdrop inside the media room at Citizens Bank Park on Monday afternoon, calm as ever, with a postseason storm swirling around him. Game 2 of the National League Division Series was hours away, and he spoke like a man who already understood every possible permutation of how the night might unfold.
Because, really, he’s been here before.
“This is a big game tonight,” Thomson said. “We’ve talked all year about winning series and how the first game is important. Well, the second game is pretty important too, when you get to a five-game series or a seven-game series — because it’s a swing game.”
That’s the Thomson way: understatement layered over urgency. He’ll never say “must-win,” but the Phillies’ manager made it clear that Game 2 against the Dodgers falls somewhere close.
And that’s why Ranger Suárez, the unflappable lefty with the 1.43 postseason ERA and nerves that could steady a fault line, will be ready.
“We’ll use Ranger out of the bullpen tonight in leverage,” Thomson said. “Nola would still be an emergency — meaning extra innings, long extra innings. And we’ll figure out Game 3.”
Yes, figure out Game 3. That’s manager-speak for “we’ll deal with that tomorrow.” For now, all hands are on deck.
Suárez is available — not merely “an option,” Thomson emphasized, but a live possibility. “He’s available. I could use him at any point,” he said.
Could that change the rotation? Not necessarily. Suárez could still start Game 3 after Tuesday’s off day, though Thomson admitted the leash would be shorter if he throws tonight. But the postseason has a way of reshaping plans. And Thomson, a master at reading his bullpen’s pulse, knows a series can pivot on one inning — or one left-hander with ice in his veins.
Meanwhile, another subplot lingered down the hallway. Outfielder Harrison Bader, scratched from the Game 2 lineup with a groin issue, was testing things out.
“The only thing that’s hindering Bader right now is just being able to run 100 percent,” Thomson said. “We think he can hit and run at 75, 80 percent. So it really affects his defense more than anything.”
That means more juggling in the outfield. “We still have [Max] Kepler there,” Thomson added. “We’ve played him in center field. I feel comfortable with where we’re at there.”
The Phillies have danced this dance before — the delicate October balance between desperation and discipline. They’ll throw Jesús Luzardo, their midseason prize, against the Dodgers’ lefty Blake Snell in a matchup built on contrasts: Luzardo’s strike-zone precision versus Snell’s chase-inducing chaos.
Thomson, ever the pragmatist, boiled it down to one mantra: control the strike zone, control the night.
Dodgers Lineup
Shohei Ohtani (L) – DH
Mookie Betts (R) – SS
Teoscar Hernández (R) – RF
Freddie Freeman (L) – 1B
Tommy Edman (S) – 2B
Kiké Hernández (R) – LF
Miguel Rojas (R) – 3B
Andy Pages (R) – CF
Ben Rortvedt (L) – C
Miguel Rojas (R) – 3B
Andy Pages (R) – CF
Ben Rortvedt (L) – C
Phillies Lineup
Trea Turner (R) – SS
Kyle Schwarber (L) – DH
Bryce Harper (L) – 1B
Alec Bohm (R) – 3B
J.T. Realmuto (R) – C
Nick Castellanos (R) – RF
Edmundo Sosa (R) – 2B
Brandon Marsh (L) – CF
Otto Kemp (R) – LF
Trea Turner (R) – SS
Kyle Schwarber (L) – DH
Bryce Harper (L) – 1B
Alec Bohm (R) – 3B
J.T. Realmuto (R) – C
Nick Castellanos (R) – RF
Edmundo Sosa (R) – 2B
Brandon Marsh (L) – CF
Otto Kemp (R) – LF
A Postseason Debut
Otto Kemp will make his postseason debut tonight in left field. The 26-year-old made the most of his audition with the Phillies in mid-summer and was brought back to the big-league roster in early September. He hit .234 with eight homers and 28 RBIs over 62 games.
“He’s been great,” Thomson said. “He struggled a little bit before we sent him down. And I think he understood that there’s a whole bunch of things you can’t control. And the second time he came up, he was really good and really consistent, too.”
“He’s a gamer. He’s an even-keel guy. Nothing really affects him too much. He’s pretty good in this environment.”
Is he feeling nervous?
“There’s some sort of nervousness there, for sure,” Kemp said. “I mean, if I didn’t have it, I wouldn’t even be playing. I think you find ways to manage it, and you find ways to kind of get lost in the game and find the flow. It’s all about slowing it down and really getting into the game and letting it take over.”
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