Thomson is setting up pitching rotation for playoffs
PHILADELPHIA » By the time the Phillies arrived in their clubhouse Wednesday after their raucous postseason-clinching Tuesday victory party, the champagne had dried and the cigar ashes had been vacuumed .
The next step in the wind-down process would be the responsibility of Rob Thomson, who would have five days to tidy up his pitching rotation for the playoffs.
Aaron Nola, who put the Phillies in position to win Tuesday with eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings, will not make his scheduled start Sunday in New York. That will make him available for Game 2 of the opening-round series Wednesday. From there?
“Here’s our pitching rotation for the weekend,” Thomson said. “It’s (Taijuan) Walker, TBA, TBA.”
Asked if Cristopher Sanchez would be one of those T’s, B’s or A’s, Thomson said he would probably “do a couple innings in one of those games.” That left the impression that he wanted the left-hander to be available at some point in that brief best-of-three series.
Zack Wheeler, who will start Game 1 of the playoffs next Tuesday, will face the Pirates at 6:05 Thursday.
Ranger Suarez started the 7-6 victory over the Pirates Wednesday, but to blah results. He lasted 4.2 innings, allowing nine hits and six earned runs with four strikeouts. He likely will wind up in the bullpen, at least early in the postseason. But Thomson will look closely at the work of Walker and Sanchez in New York before formalizing any decisions.
“Clearly, you want them all pitching well,” he said. “So if one is a lot better than the other, then it tells you something.”
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As expected, Thomson gave most of his regulars — including Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos and Alec Bohm — a maintenance night. With 88 wins, that could have compromised the Phillies’ chances of winning 90 — a modest, if satisfying goal.
“I mean, it would be nice to get to 90 wins,” he said. “But I am not going to put people in jeopardy to get 90 wins.”
In the same spirit with the No. 4 NL playoff seed clinched, Thomson is disinclined to consider individual goals. He does understand, though, that Bohm needs five RBIs in his last four games to reach 100 for the season.
“Well, he’s probably going to play three or four games,” Thomson said. “So I would think he would get that opportunity.”
Castellanos (106) and Schwarber (100) have already reached triplefigures. The Phillies have had three 100-RBI producers in a season just three times in their history, the latest in 2005 with Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu and Chase Utley.
Rodolfo Castro started at third Wednesday, with Edmundo Sosa at short. Jake Cave, Johan Rojas and Cristian Pache were in the outfield.
Brandon Marsh was the designated hitter.
Garrett Stubbs caught and hit his first home run of the season, a three-run shot to right to shave a deficit to 5-4 in the fourth.
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The Orion Kerkering Experience continued Wednesday. The recently recalled rookie, who made his major-league debut with a dazzling, two-strikeout inning Sunday, worked another scoreless inning. Though he allowed a hit and a walk, he struck out Liover Peguero to end the Pirates’ seventh.
Kerkering became the winning pitcher when Bryce Harper homered in the bottom of the inning, and he is likely to land on the postseason roster. However, Thomson will have multiple bullpen options.
“I like the way a lot of the guys are pitching right now,” Thomson said. “(Jose) Alvarado looks like Alvarado again. We’ll see what Kerkering’s got, but he looks electric. And though (Craig) Kimbrel gave up a home run (Tuesday) I like the way he is throwing the ball.”
Kimbrel has allowed a home run in each of his last two appearances, has quietly been demoted from closer to eighth-inning work and no longer throws close to 100 mph. Thomson, though, will not budge.
“I thought his stuff was good Tuesday, but he just hung a breaking ball,” he said. “He got two weak ground balls and hung a breaking ball. Some guys are going to do that.”
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NOTES » With Sosa’s 10th of the season — a leadoff shot to left in the fifth — nine Phillies had double-figure home runs.… With Schwarber resting, Bryson Stott led off and went 0-for-4. … Before a possible return from knee surgery in time for the World Series, Rhys Hoskins would be sent to Florida to face live pitching. … Rafael Marchan, Darick Hall, Weston Wilson and Kody Clemens are already in Florida staying sharp, as are pitchers Andrew Bellatti, Connor Brogdon, Nick Nelson and McKinley Moore.