"The Phillies had a choice to begin this October, and they've opted for 27-year-old lefty Cristopher Sanchez over Nola in Game 2 at Citizens Bank Park. Nola, instead, will pitch Game 3 at Citi Field," he reports.
There were a lot of things that went into this decision, something the skipper talked through during this entire week when the topic was continually brought up.
Short-term and long-term issues could potentially have come from this, something Philadelphia couldn't afford to have at this crucial point of the season.
"Thomson had tested it with his coaches, then some players in late September. Nola is one of the steadiest, most trusted people in the clubhouse. Thomson had to be sure there wasn't blowback for a decision rooted in strong reasoning but one that upsets the ordained rotation," Gelb added.
This feels like the right decision, and one that the team seems to be fully onboard with.
Sanchez is much better at home than on the road, so if Zack Wheeler and the young starter are able to take care of business in the first two contests at Citizens Bank Park, then Nola will have a chance to close things out in Citi Field.
The Philadelphia Phillies earned their time off throughout the week.
They did so by consistently being one of the best teams, if not the best, in all of Major League Baseball during this entire year that earned them an NL East title and first round bye that allowed them to skip the Wild Card round.
Recently, there's been some discussions about if the time off actually hurts those who have been given the bye instead of helping them, but for this Phillies team, they were able to use this period as a way to get healthy, something that had been nagging them towards the latter part of the season.
It also gave manager Rob Thomson the ability the sit back and analyze the impending decisions he has to make regarding the roster and pitching staff, highlighted by who is going to start in Game 2.
The conversation centered around Aaron Nola filling that role like he has done the past two years, but when taking a look at Cristopher Sanchez's home-road splits, the possibility the young left-hander would actually get the start became much more of a possibility.
Well, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Thomson has made up his mind.
Aug 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59) in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at Truist Park.
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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