The Philadelphia Phillies have reached the final day of the regular season with their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, and now the entire season could come down to what Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo and a suddenly exhausted pitching staff can produce in Game 162.
Just a few days ago, Philadelphia appeared to be in control. After beating the Milwaukee Brewers 6-4 on Wednesday, the Phillies entered the final stretch with a magic number of two to secure their postseason place. Instead, everything unraveled almost immediately. Over their next four games, Philadelphia was outscored 23-3, turning what should have been a comfortable finish into a tense fight simply to reach October.
Saturday’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Rays represented the latest and most painful setback. With a chance to clinch and remove the pressure from Sunday’s finale, the Phillies instead suffered a 12-1 blowout, extending their miserable stretch and leaving the club needing to treat the final game of the regular season like a winner-take-all contest.
Zack Wheeler gets the ball for Game 162
With Philadelphia’s season now effectively reduced to one game, interim manager Don Mattingly will turn to Zack Wheeler.
The decision carries a major consequence: Wheeler will no longer be available to potentially start Game 1 of a Wild Card Series if the Phillies qualify. But there is no luxury of saving him for the postseason when the team first has to get there.
Wheeler’s assignment is simple but enormous—keep the Phillies alive.
Philadelphia also expects Jesús Luzardo to potentially return from the injured list and contribute out of the bullpen. His availability could be especially important considering the amount of strain the Phillies’ pitching staff has absorbed during this difficult stretch.
The club could also have Alex McFarlane and Jhoan Duran available after neither pitcher worked Saturday. That would give Mattingly two relatively fresh arms for a game in which Philadelphia may need to use every available option.
Even Andrew Painter, who remained in the bullpen Saturday without pitching, could potentially be called upon.
The message is clear: there is no tomorrow unless the Phillies win or receive the necessary help.
The Padres have given Philadelphia another lifeline
Philadelphia’s situation would have been even more desperate without help elsewhere.
The San Diego Padres defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 10-7, scoring 10 runs against Arizona’s bullpen and dramatically changing the postseason picture. San Diego now needs only a victory in its final game—or another Arizona loss—to claim the remaining National League playoff spot.
That result gives the Phillies another opportunity.
The problem is that San Diego has already locked up its playoff seeding and opponent, meaning the Padres have little at stake in their finale. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has everything on the line.
The Rays are also already preparing for their own postseason run, making Saturday’s 12-1 victory another reminder of the difference between a team playing freely and one struggling under enormous pressure.
For Philadelphia, getting into the postseason is now the only objective.
Nola’s difficult outing has complicated everything
Saturday’s pitching plan was already unusual.
Mattingly handed the ball to Aaron Nola on only two days’ rest, hoping the veteran could give Philadelphia enough innings to navigate the game before handing things over to the bullpen.
Instead, Nola struggled immediately.
Junior Caminero’s two-run home run in the first inning helped Tampa Bay establish control, and Nola was unable to provide the length Philadelphia desperately needed.
Nola’s appearance could also have consequences if the Phillies survive. He could theoretically pitch in a potential Wild Card Game 1, but his effectiveness could be compromised after working Saturday.
Cristopher Sánchez is scheduled to be available for Game 2 on normal rest, but Philadelphia’s pitching situation is now considerably less comfortable than it appeared only days ago.
If the Phillies qualify, they could immediately face Atlanta with a pitching staff that has been pushed hard simply to reach October.
Philadelphia’s bullpen has also taken a beating
The pitching problems did not end with Nola.
In what could potentially be his final appearance with Philadelphia after six seasons, José Alvarado struggled to locate his pitches and surrendered three runs while recording only one out.
José Urquidy then had to throw 50 pitches and could potentially be removed from the roster Sunday.
Tanner Banks was the only Phillies reliever to enter Saturday’s game without allowing a hit, highlighting how difficult the night became for the pitching staff.
That is why Luzardo’s potential return could be so important.
Rather than immediately asking him to handle a traditional starter’s workload, Philadelphia could use Luzardo in a shorter bullpen role, potentially allowing Mattingly to match him against key hitters and preserve the rest of the staff.
The offense has become the biggest concern
While the pitching has been heavily criticized, the Phillies’ offense has arguably become the most alarming part of the collapse.
Philadelphia entered Saturday struggling to score, and that problem continued against Tampa Bay.
The Phillies were held scoreless for 21 consecutive innings before finally getting a run in the seventh inning on an error. By that point, however, the Rays had built a 10-run advantage, making the late breakthrough almost meaningless.
There was even a moment earlier in the game when Philadelphia appeared to have a chance to break through.
With Justin Crawford on second base in the third inning, Trea Turner smashed a line drive directly into Rays pitcher Griffin Jax. Instead of bouncing safely into the outfield, the ball deflected toward shortstop Taylor Walls, who recovered it and completed the play at first to end the inning.
It was another example of how little seemed to be going Philadelphia’s way.
The Phillies eventually scored, but only after the game was essentially decided.
Mattingly still saw something positive
Despite the embarrassing scoreline, Mattingly said he was encouraged by the way some of his players continued competing.
The interim manager acknowledged that the overall offensive performance was not good enough, but he believed some of the individual at-bats demonstrated that the team had not completely lost its fight.
That optimism will now be tested immediately.
The Phillies cannot afford another game in which good intentions fail to produce results. Their offense must finally generate runs, and their pitching staff must hold the opponent within striking distance.
A potential historic collapse is looming
The magnitude of the situation is difficult to ignore.
Philadelphia had been in a position to comfortably secure its postseason spot. Instead, four consecutive losses and a 23-3 scoring deficit have transformed the final day into a season-defining game.
The comparison to the infamous 1964 Phillies collapse, when Philadelphia blew a 6½-game lead with 12 games remaining, is already being raised because of how dramatically the current situation has deteriorated.
There is still a chance to prevent that comparison from becoming the defining story of this season.
But now, the Phillies need Wheeler to deliver, Luzardo to potentially provide a major boost, and their offense to rediscover the production that carried them earlier in the year.
Game 162 is no longer simply the final game of the regular season. For Philadelphia, it has effectively become Game 7—with the entire season riding on it.
Leave a Reply