Jesús Luzardo will be the Phillies’ starter for Game 2 of the NLDS on Monday night.
Ranger Suárez will be available out of the bullpen Saturday night for Game 1, manager Rob Thomson said pregame, and so will Aaron Nola in case of emergency.
When it comes to Luzardo getting the nod for Game 2 against the Dodgers…
“He’s just pitched so well the last month,” Thomson said, “and he had pitched prior to Ranger during the regular season, and it just made the most sense to me.”
When it comes to Nola, who has been a career starter but has struggled for much of this season…
“I mean, he could be length, he could be starting,” Thomson said. “I’m not announcing a Game 3 starter until after Monday’s game, just to see how it all plays out.”
Suárez, who has also been a longtime starter to this point, notably pitched out of the bullpen during the 2022 NL pennant run in whatever role the Phillies needed him to fit into. His availability out of the pen for Game 1 has him ready to potentially answer that call again.
Nola is in a different situation, though. A longtime fixture near the top of the Phillies’ rotation, the 32-year-old right-hander dealt with injury, inconsistency, and a loss of velocity until his last regular season start against the Twins that put a continued spot in the playoff rotation for himvery much in doubt.
The Phillies’ approach to the Dodgers for their starting pitching, however, might be a bit more fluid than running the left-heavy first three of Cristopher Sánchez, Luzardo, and then Suárez as initially expected.
As for Luzardo, he went 3-1 with a 3.21 ERA, a 0.857 WHIP, and a 10.9 strikeouts per nine rate through the last month of the regular season.
The lefty, much like Sánchez for Game 1 on Saturday, will be looking to use the comfort and postseason energy of the home Citizens Bank Park to his advantage, hopefully sending the Phillies off to L.A. in a good spot.
Wheel around
Zack Wheeler is out for the postseason, but he’s staying around the club.
The Phillies’ right-handed ace made an appearance in the club’s postseason hype video posted Saturday morning, and Sánchez on Friday and then Thomson on Saturday both confirmed that Wheeler has been around in the clubhouse.
“He gives us a lot of confidence, even if he’s not playing or pitching,” Thomson said of Wheeler. “He’s here today, I can tell ya that. Now, how much he’s gonna be with us, I’m not 100 percent sure. But he wanted to be here today, and I’m glad he’s here.”
“He’s just a great person to have around,” Thomson continued. “He just has that aura about him.”
Sánchez said on Friday that Wheeler has been helping him get prepared for Saturday night’s start as the Phillies’ new No. 1.
“We talked about a lot of things,” Sánchez said through Phillies Spanish interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “He shared that hewas really excited for myself and for everything that’s been going on with my career recently. But aside from that, we talk about a lot of things.
“He asked me if I was ready, and I told him, ‘Of course I am!’ And again, as far as myself, I just gotta go out there and compete, give the best of myself while I’m out on the mound.”
Wheeler’s presence around the Phillies for this postseason run would be similar to former first baseman Rhys Hoskins’ during the 2023 playoffs.
Hoskins tore his ACL in spring training, which ended his season, but during his rehab, he came back to Philly to throw out that postseason’s first pitch and could be found rallying his teammates in the Phillies’ dugout throughout.
Wheeler, who’s recovering from the removal of a blood clot and venous thoracic outlet syndrome, could be an extra spark for the Phils this October just from being around.
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