Phillies Wild-Card Urgency
Phillies Turn to Aaron Nola on Short Rest Amid Wild-Card Race Urgency
Anonymous
With their National League wild-card spot at risk after three straight losses and Arizona’s six-game winning streak, the Phillies turned to Aaron Nola against Tampa Bay on just two days’ rest. Philadelphia had expected to use a bullpen game, but changed course and named Nola, who threw 88 pitches in six innings on Sept. 23, as the starter; the bullpen is still expected to cover much of the game. Nola’s short-rest outing reflects the team’s urgency, as Arizona holds the tiebreaker and Philadelphia needs to finish ahead of the Diamondbacks to qualify. The Phillies also need more offense after scoring only two runs in their previous three games.
Key Points
1
Philadelphia’s bullpen had struggled in September, posting a 5.23 ERA that ranked 27th in the majors, making the need to cover much of the game especially concerning.
2
Jose Urquidy was a possible option to follow Nola after throwing 4⅔ scoreless innings in his Phillies debut, while left-hander Tim Mayza had pitched in three of the previous four games and was being saved for the season finale.
3
With Jesus Luzardo sidelined, his rotation spot had become a bullpen game in each of Philadelphia’s previous three turns through the rotation.
4
Nola was in line to start Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series if Philadelphia qualified, adding a potential postseason cost to using him on short rest.
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