The Philadelphia Phillies began their bye week on Monday with a day off at home as they prepare for the National League Division Series (NLDS). The team will resume activities on Tuesday afternoon with a workout at Citizens Bank Park. On Wednesday, an intrasquad game is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, and more than 20,000 tickets have already been sold at $10 each. All proceeds from this event will go to Phillies Charities.
Additional workouts are planned for Thursday and Friday before the start of the NLDS on Saturday, where the Phillies will face either the Los Angeles Dodgers or Cincinnati Reds. The time for first pitch has not yet been announced.
In anticipation of the postseason, a Reddit AMA was held on Monday to address questions from fans about roster decisions and player roles. When asked about the starting rotation for the playoffs, it was suggested that Cristopher Sánchez is likely to start Game 1. “My best guess is Suárez starts Game 2. The Phillies have hinted that they like the idea of splitting up the harder-throwing Sánchez and Luzardo with Suárez. Ideally, of course, there would be a right-hander to split up the lefties. I suppose that could happen, but after Sánchez in Game 1, I think it will be Suárez in Game 2 and Luzardo in Game 3,” according to comments made during the AMA.
Regarding infield positions against left-handed pitchers, manager Rob Thomson indicated flexibility: “I could see Edmundo Sosa and Bryson Stott platooning at second base, but manager Rob Thomson said the other day it will depend who the lefty pitcher is.” Trea Turner is expected to play every game at shortstop if healthy.
On lineup considerations involving Harrison Bader now that Trea Turner has returned, it was noted: “I could see Bader hitting sixth. Personally, I like the idea of having another high-on-base-percentage guy hitting in the middle of the lineup. I’ll probably be wrong, but against a right-handed starter, I could see the lineup looking like this: Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, Bader, Max Kepler, J.T. Realmuto, Bryson Stott.”
Reflecting on highlights from this season so far, one response pointed to Kyle Schwarber’s performance: “Kyle Schwarber’s four-homer game. Truly historic and a lot of fun to watch.”
With regard to preparations during the bye week and fan participation in Wednesday’s game increasing intensity compared to last year’s empty ballpark experience: “It’s not that they didn’t take the intrasquad game seriously last year. It’s that they probably had trouble creating any intensity inside an empty ballpark. That’s difficult. So this maybe increases the intensity a bit… Besides that, I don’t think there’s much else they can do.”
Asked about Kyle Schwarber’s future with Philadelphia beyond this season: “My best guess is that he’ll be back. I think Kyle likes the organization and I know the organization loves him, including John Middleton. I believe he’ll age well… I think he could be the Phillies’ version of David Ortiz — a really good, dominant power hitter into his late 30s.”
Discussion also covered how many pitchers might make up Philadelphia’s postseason roster: “Thomson has been asked every day this week about the postseason roster. He hasn’t tipped his hand yet, but with the extra off-day in the NLDS, I think it makes sense to have a 12-man pitching staff.”
The NLDS schedule includes games on Saturday (Game 1), October 6 (Game 2), October 8 (Game 3), October 9 (Game 4 if necessary), and October 11 (Game 5 if necessary), with off-days between some games.
