Phillies Manager Has Official Playoff Pitching Rotation in Mind

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson said what will be their official pitching rotation will be for the playoffs this season.

As the Philadelphia Phillies close out their home series against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, they travel to face the Braves again starting Monday, in what could be a playoff preview.

The Phillies are looking to win on Wednesday night to split the current series with their division rivals before looking too far ahead to the final regular season series between the top two NL East teams.

But these matchups have people thinking about the playoffs, including manager Rob Thomson.

He told the WIP Morning Show in Philadelphia that he expects his starting rotation in the postseason to be Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Taijuan Walker.

When asked if those would be his starters, he said, "I would think so, yeah. You know, as long as everybody's healthy and everybody's, you know, pitching the way they're supposed to pitch. I think that's probably the way we go."

It comes as no surprise that Wheeler and Nola would be their top of the rotation guys. They're the two aces of this staff regardless of some struggles this season.

Suarez is the interesting one to get the nod right now.

Since returning from injury Sept. 1, he has a 4.35 ERA in his two starts that have seen him give up five runs through 10.1 innings pitched.

His did strikeout 10 batters against the Miami Marlins in his last start, which is a good sign that he's getting back some of his top end stuff.

Walker has the most wins on the team this season and is tied for second in the MLB with 15. However, his ERA has ballooned in the month of September, recording a 7.84 across his two starts.

Suarez and Walker will likely be heavily monitored by Thomson before he makes a final decision on what his postseason rotation will actually be.

This also signals that trade deadline acquisition Michael Lorenzen will come out of the bullpen in the playoffs, something that was previously rumored.

Lorenzen has experience working out of the bullpen, starting his career as a reliever. His addition to the relief staff should bolster a unit that has struggled down the stretch this year, as they continue to blow leads late in games.

Like Thomson said, this situation will continue to be evaluated, but right now, those four players are who the Phillies will be starting in the postseason.