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Phillies Announce Game 1 Postseason Starter, Begin Aligning Rotation
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
The Phillies have started the process of aligning their starting rotation for Red October.
Rob Thomson announced on Wednesday afternoon, to nobody’s surprise, that Cristopher Sanchez will start the first postseason game. The Phillies will do some flipping around to set up Sanchez on normal/extra rest for Game 1.
There will be a Walker/Buehler piggyback on Friday. No, not that way. Taijuan Walker will start the series opener on Friday, and Walker Buehler will enter the game after Taijuan Walker. Rob Thomson got a real kick out of this yesterday. What a big dad joke moment from him.
Aaron Nola will start on Saturday in Arizona. Ranger Suarez will start on Sunday. This sets up Sanchez up to pitch on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park, along with the last game of the season on Sunday. That will put Sanchez on track to stay on his normal schedule and start Game 1 of the NLDS, which will most likely be the Phillies’ first postseason game.
After Sanchez, things are still up in the air. Thomson seems like the Phillies are leaning toward using all three lefties in the NLDS. Based on scheduling, the team will only need to use three starting pitchers in the five-game National League Division Series. My guess right now is…
- Game 1: Cristopher Sanchez (confirmed)
- Game 2: Ranger Suarez
- Game 3: Jesus Luzardo
- Game 4 (if necessary): Cristopher Sanchez
- Game 5 (if necessary): Ranger Suarez
The Phillies lost the series finale late Wednesday night, but win a crucial series against the Dodgers out west. The magic number on Monday afternoon for a first round bye was nine. Now, it’s four. The Phillies have nine games remaining. Thursday is an off day, followed by three games in Arizona vs. the Diamondbacks. They’ll end the season with six games at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday. Three against the Marlins, and three against the Twins.
Luke Arcaini writes about the Phillies for Crossing Broad, covers the Phillies for FOX Sports The Gambler, and co-hosts "Phillies Digest" on YouTube. The wave is the worst thing in all of sports. Contact: lukearcaini8@gmail.com