The Phillies managed to force a decisive Game 3 in their Wild Card series with the Braves thanks in large part to a Herculean start from Cristopher Sánchez and a downright incredible performance from Andrew Painter out of the bullpen. Thanks to the efforts of those two, the entire Phillies bullpen is likely available for tomorrow’s win or go home Game 3. The use of Painter in relief is also a preview of the type of strategy the Phillies will use today.
Aaron Nola will likely be the Phillies starter,
but he won’t be the only one to appear at some point in the game. Zack Wheeler will almost assuredly be available on three days rest and could theoretically even be an option to start, although Nola has never appeared out of the bullpen and Wheeler has postseason experience doing so, making the latter the likely candidate to be used in relief. After those two, the Phillies should have Alex McFarlane and Jhoan Duran available, although the former’s status is uncertain after appearing in both games so far and the length of which the latter can go is unknown after his long appearance in Game 1. They also will have the likes of Tim Mayza and Jonathan Bowlan, although the latter has not pitched since injuring his groin a few weeks ago. They may even have Painter who could possibly face a few batters after throwing 37 pitches yesterday.
There is a path to 27 outs there, but it will call for more creativity like the Phillies showed yesterday. So, how would you deploy the Phillies pitching today in Game 3?
