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| Jesus Luzardo threw a bullpen session on Thursday. | CREDIT: Tiffany Ulfson |
PHILADELPHIA — Zack Wheeler is expected to pitch Tuesday. Cristopher Sánchez is being lined up for Wednesday. Jesús Luzardo threw a bullpen session Thursday and says his shoulder feels back to normal.
The Phillies have a postseason pitching plan taking shape. They still need a postseason berth to use it.
Their magic number stood at two entering Thursday night’s game against Milwaukee. Until they clinch, Don Mattingly must balance what Philadelphia needs this week against what it might need in a Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday, Sept. 29. That is difficult enough with a healthy rotation. Luzardo’s return makes the most interesting decision considerably harder.
Wheeler started Tuesday against the Brewers, putting him on course for the Wild Card opener if the Phillies qualify. The club moved Sánchez’s final regular-season start from Saturday to Friday against Tampa Bay, lining him up for Wednesday’s Game 2. Mattingly has not formally announced those assignments, but the revised schedule shows how Philadelphia is preparing.
Then comes Thursday’s Game 3, if necessary. The most sensible answer today may be Aaron Nola, with Luzardo available to help win an earlier game.
Luzardo took an important step Thursday. After throwing off a mound, he told reporters he feels back to normal and is throwing without soreness. Those are encouraging words from a pitcher whose last start, on Sept. 7, was a two-hit shutout of Atlanta.
But a potential Game 3 would come 24 days after that start. A pain-free bullpen session says something meaningful about Luzardo’s recovery. It does not yet tell the Phillies whether he can work five or six innings in an elimination game. The club has considered a simulated game as another step, and Mattingly has said Luzardo could either start or relieve in the Wild Card Series.
Nola offers a clearer answer to the workload question. He pitched Wednesday against Milwaukee, leaving a full week before a possible Game 3. He has also pitched substantially better than his full-season numbers suggest. After a 6.04 ERA through June 29, he posted a 3.12 ERA over his next 15 starts. Seven scoreless innings against the Mets last week illustrated why Mattingly has spoken with renewed confidence about what Nola can give the Phillies. Wednesday’s outing against the Brewers was a bump, but not a reason to discard his second-half work.
A Wheeler–Sánchez–Nola alignment would leave Luzardo with a role that could be especially valuable in a short series. If Wheeler reaches trouble Tuesday before the game can get to Jhoan Duran, Luzardo might cover several vital outs. The same possibility exists if Sánchez struggles Wednesday. And if the Phillies win twice, they will have used Luzardo to help advance rather than saved him for a start they never needed.
There is a reason Mattingly cannot simply write “Luzardo, emergency relief” on a card and consider the matter settled. Relievers must get ready on shorter notice. A pitcher returning from shoulder inflammation may be able to throw one day without being available the next. Before the Phillies count on Luzardo to rescue either game, they need to learn what his shoulder can handle after Thursday’s session and whatever work follows.
Sánchez has something to show them Friday, too. He allowed 11 runs across consecutive starts against Houston and Washington earlier this month, a concerning stretch with Luzardo already sidelined. He responded Sunday against the Mets with 6⅓ innings of two-run ball, striking out six without a walk. Another strong outing against Tampa Bay would make his place behind Wheeler feel considerably firmer.
None of these choices has been announced. Much depends on Luzardo’s next steps, Sánchez’s Friday start and, first of all, whether the Phillies finish the job of qualifying.
For now, though, the shape of a plan is visible: Wheeler on Tuesday, Sánchez on Wednesday and Nola available Thursday, with Luzardo as a potential answer when one of the first two games threatens to turn. The Phillies still have to earn the chance to make that choice. If they do, Luzardo’s most important postseason appearance may begin long after the first pitch.
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