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Two Phillies Starters Available in Relief Behind Zack Wheeler on Sunday
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
Zack Wheeler will take the mound for the Phillies in game 162. A once 5-game lead with 8 games to go has turned into a nail-biter, and an entire season comes down to 9 innings on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
They can clinch the 6-seed in the postseason on Sunday with a win. If the Phillies win, the results of the Diamondbacks/Padres game at 3:05 PM doesn’t mean anything. If the Phillies lose, they will need the Padres beat Arizona.
It’s officially all hands on deck for the Phillies. It’s a travesty that it came to this, but Wheeler will now throw Game 162. A couple days ago, the hope was that today’s game wouldn’t matter, and the Phillies would be able to rest Wheeler for game 1 of the Wild Card series against the Braves. That is no longer the case.
The Phillies are hoping for the vintage Wheeler they know on Sunday; but if that doesn’t happen, they have options. Jesus Luzardo was activated from the 15-day injured list this morning and is available today, even though Don Mattingly doesn’t know at what capacity.
Mattingly also made it known that Andrew Painter is also available out of the bullpen. If Painter enters the game, it’ll be the first “relief appearance” of his career, not counting the games where Painter had an opener in front of him.
Everything, and I mean everything is on the table on Sunday afternoon. The game got pushed up a half hour due to weather. There is a slight chance that Zack Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo, and Andrew Painter could all pitch in the same game. Maybe Jhoan Duran gives you two innings. Bryson Stott is hitting cleanup.
It all comes down to Game 162. It’s absolutely bizarre that we’ve gotten to this point.
Luke Arcaini has been writing about the Phillies for 6 seasons, and is now in his 2nd year covering for Phillies down at Citizens Bank Park for Crossing Broad. Follow him on Twitter @ArcainiLuke