In more ways than one, there’s plenty up in the air in South Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
When will the Phillies clinch? What will their postseason path look like? And with a nor’easter threatening the final weekend of the regular season, will they even be able to play their remaining games as scheduled?<\/p>\n
The Phillies have three games left and a magic number of two. As they try to secure their fifth consecutive postseason berth, the health of two important players on opposite sides of the ball has added another layer of uncertainty.<\/p>\n
And Friday’s update on Luis Arraez wasn’t particularly reassuring.<\/p>\n
The second baseman suffered a left ankle sprain Thursday night after getting his foot caught in the dirt while trying to avoid a tag at first base. He went down immediately and struggled to put weight on his left foot after being attended to by the Phillies’ medical staff.<\/p>\n
X-rays came back negative Thursday, and an MRI on Friday confirmed the sprain. The Phillies have not specified whether it is a high or low ankle sprain. Interim manager Don Mattingly said Arraez woke up stiff and sore, leaving his availability for the final three games in question.<\/p>\n
“A little surprised, I would say,” Mattingly said when asked whether he would be surprised to see Arraez back on the field before the regular season ends. “You don’t feel great about it because he was sore this morning.”<\/p>\n
Mattingly hasn’t ruled out a quick return, though. He said the club will continue treating the ankle and see how Arraez responds over the next few days. The Phillies have not provided a grade for the sprain.<\/p>\n
“If it’s something that we know he’s not going to play, then we’re going to have to [make a move],” Mattingly said. “You don’t want to play short.”<\/p>\n
There is also the possibility that Arraez could become available at the plate before he’s ready to play the field.<\/p>\n
“If Luis can swing the bat, we want him to be available,” Mattingly said.<\/p>\n
That would come with complications. Using Arraez as a pinch-hitter without allowing him to run would require a second substitution, something the Phillies would have to weigh against the rest of their available bench.<\/p>\n
For now, they’re waiting to see how much he improves.<\/p>\n
The timing could hardly be worse for Philadelphia’s biggest trade deadline acquisition.<\/p>\n
Arraez hasn’t replicated his .324 first half with San Francisco, batting .278 since joining the Phillies in August. But the three-time batting champion has brought a different approach to an offense that has struggled with swing-and-miss in consecutive postseasons.<\/p>\n
His ability to make contact has become even more pronounced since the trade.<\/p>\n
Arraez carried a 7.9 percent swinging-strike rate with the Giants, the lowest in baseball at the time. That figure has dropped to 4.9 percent with the Phillies. Across 345 swings, he has missed the baseball just 17 times.<\/p>\n
He isn’t a conventional cleanup hitter, but his ability to put the ball in play has given the Phillies another option with runners in scoring position.<\/p>\n
Mattingly pointed to what Arraez has brought to the middle of the order.<\/p>\n
“Luis is a guy that can really, really hit,” Mattingly said. “He’s come in and gotten his hits. He’s been kind of a stabilizer, kind of mixes our lineup up a little bit, a different kind of guy.”<\/p>\n
Friday offers an early look at how the Phillies could handle his absence.<\/p>\n
Facing Rays right-hander Freddy Peralta, Edmundo Sosa will play third base, Bryson Stott will return to second, Alec Bohm will remain at first and Bryce Harper will stay in right field. Bohm will also move into Arraez’s cleanup spot.<\/p>\n
He’s batting .355 with runners in scoring position, giving Mattingly another hitter he can trust in that part of the order.<\/p>\n
But Friday’s alignment doesn’t have to be permanent.<\/p>\n
If the Phillies move Bohm back to third and Harper to first against right-handed pitching, it would open a corner-outfield spot for Bryan De La Cruz. In a limited sample, De La Cruz has hit .361 in 40 plate appearances against right-handers this season, compared with .229 in the same number of plate appearances against lefties.<\/p>\n
Sosa has traditionally done more damage against left-handed pitching, with a .290 average against southpaws this season compared with .190 against righties.<\/p>\n
Those splits give the Phillies different ways to arrange their lineup depending on the opponent.<\/p>\n
“Whatever I do, I’m moving somebody into a spot,” Mattingly said. “If it’s moving Bohm to third, it brings Bryce in. Somebody’s got to play right. So however we do it, it’s going to be very similar.”<\/p>\n
The question is whether they’ll need to settle on one of those alternatives for October, or whether Arraez can recover quickly enough to reclaim his spot.<\/p>\n
PROGRESS ON THE OTHER SIDE<\/p>\n
There was better news surrounding Jes\u00fas Luzardo, who continues working his way back from left shoulder inflammation.<\/p>\n
The left-hander threw 30 pitches in a bullpen session Thursday and came out of it feeling good. He had already played catch on four consecutive days earlier in the week, and his next step is getting the opportunity to face hitters.<\/p>\n
The Phillies would like that to happen this weekend, potentially in a simulated game Saturday, although the incoming weather could complicate those plans.<\/p>\n
Mattingly said the club could explore an indoor session if necessary, but stopped short of calling live batting practice a firm requirement before Luzardo returns.<\/p>\n
“It would be nice,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s a must.”<\/p>\n
The Phillies still haven’t determined whether Luzardo would return as a starter or reliever. But if he comes through another throwing session without any setbacks, his availability for a potential Wild Card Series would become a more realistic possibility.<\/p>\n
His role could look much different from the one he carried throughout his outstanding regular season.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia’s bullpen has struggled to bridge games to Jhoan Duran, particularly in the middle innings. The club’s relievers have combined for a major-league-worst 5.26 ERA from the fifth through seventh innings.<\/p>\n
Adding Luzardo to that group, even temporarily, could give the Phillies an option they haven’t had for most of the year.<\/p>\n
And he might not be the only starter who ends up there.<\/p>\n
Andrew Painter struck out eight hitters in his final regular-season start Thursday and remains a candidate to work out of the bullpen in October. The Phillies have expressed interest in giving him relief work before the postseason if the schedule allows it.<\/p>\n
With Zack Wheeler, Cristopher S\u00e1nchez and Aaron Nola providing potential options for a three-game Wild Card Series, the Phillies could have some flexibility with Painter and Luzardo, depending on the latter’s health.<\/p>\n
The possibility of using both in shorter outings would give Mattingly two additional arms as he continues searching for a reliable combination to reach the late innings.<\/p>\n
ANOTHER ARM PROGRESSING<\/p>\n
Jonathan Bowlan is also moving closer to a potential return.<\/p>\n
The right-hander threw his second bullpen session Friday since exiting with right groin tightness in New York. He said he’s progressing well and noted that both times he has dealt with groin injuries this season, the symptoms appeared suddenly.<\/p>\n
Bowlan has not been placed on the injured list, leaving him eligible to return whenever he’s ready.<\/p>\n
His availability could become especially important considering the club’s uncertainty in middle relief and Orion Kerkering’s recent option to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n
The Phillies would like as many of those questions answered as possible before they have to settle on a postseason pitching staff.<\/p>\n
THREE GAMES, PLENTY TO SORT OUT<\/p>\n
Cristopher S\u00e1nchez will take the ball for Friday\u2019s series opener against Tampa Bay. With their magic number still at two, the Phillies have little room for error as they try to secure a fifth consecutive postseason berth.<\/p>\n
Saturday is expected to be a bullpen game, potentially with Jos\u00e9 Urquidy providing length. Nestor Cortes could also factor into the Phillies\u2019 plans after signing with the organization last month.<\/p>\n
The veteran left-hander threw three scoreless innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley last Saturday, striking out three without issuing a walk as he continues building up.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s building,\u201d Mattingly said last Saturday. \u201cHe\u2019s heading in the direction that it\u2019s possible we might be able to use him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked Friday whether Cortes could contribute over the final weekend, Mattingly left the door open.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould be. Could be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cortes is also eligible for the postseason, giving the Phillies another potential option as they sort through their pitching staff.<\/p>\n
Zack Wheeler is lined up for Sunday, though the Phillies would prefer to clinch before needing him in the regular-season finale. That would give them more flexibility to arrange their rotation for a potential Wild Card Series.<\/p>\n
But the weather could complicate those plans.<\/p>\n
A nor\u2019easter threatening the Northeast could force the Phillies into a doubleheader or another scheduling adjustment. The Red Sox and Cubs have already moved their regular-season finale to Tropicana Field on Sunday, raising the possibility that Philadelphia could also need an alternate venue.<\/p>\n
For Mattingly, the uncertainty surrounding the schedule doesn’t change what’s at stake over the final three games. Nor does he believe his veteran clubhouse needs another reminder.<\/p>\n
“The urgency, everybody knows,” Mattingly said. “It’s pretty much right in your face.”<\/p>\n
Between Arraez’s ankle, Luzardo’s return, their unsettled bullpen and the incoming weather, the Phillies have plenty to sort out before October.<\/p>\n
But Mattingly isn’t interested in getting caught up in every possible scenario.<\/p>\n
“We just got to go out and play good baseball.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In more ways than one, there’s plenty up in the air in South Philadelphia. When will the Phillies…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":861287,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,201779,5865,99],"class_list":["post-861286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-phillies-analysis","tag-phillies-news","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=861286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/861286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/861287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=861286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=861286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=861286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}