Phillies Smart To Line up Rotation To Get Veterans Extra Rest

Veteran starting pitchers are getting some much-needed rest with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Jul 14, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) on the mound during the first inning during the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies have an interesting quirk in the start of their second-half schedule, which led to interim manager Don Mattingly having to make a tough decision.

The Phillies will host the New York Mets in a standalone game to kick off the second half. Because they are the only two teams playing on July 16, they will be off on July 17, when the rest of the MLB makes its return from the All-Star break.

It created an interesting quandary for Mattingly. How would he set up his starting rotation, given how many days off some of the hurlers would have between starts? It was suggested by Corey Seidman on X that Aaron Nola would start Game 1, with Zack Wheeler taking the mound in Game 2 of the series on July 18.

It makes plenty of sense for Nola to start the first game out of the break. He can remain pretty much on schedule, as his last start before the break came on July 10, giving him five days of rest between outings.

Phillies push back Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler

Jul 12, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning at Comerica Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

However, the Phillies look like they will be going in a different direction from what Seidman projected. It won’t be Wheeler taking the ball on the 18th; instead, it will be Jesus Luzardo, who threw six pitches during the All-Star Game on July 14.

His last start in the first half came on July 9 when he dominated the Cincinnati Reds, striking out 11 batters across seven shutout innings. In another surprise, it is Alan Rangel currently slated to take the ball in the series finale against the Mets.

Nothing has been announced beyond that point, but it certainly seems as if Mattingly wanted to ensure that his two best starters, Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler, not only got a little extra rest during the break but are lined up to take the ball against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After three games against their National League East rivals, Philadelphia is hosting the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park for three games before the New York Yankees come to town, with an off day on July 23.

Assuming Phillies will come out of All-Star break with Aaron Nola starting Thursday vs. Mets and Zack Wheeler on Saturday. Team’s off Friday.

Luzardo & Sanchez would be on normal rest Sunday. Sanchez could probably benefit from an extra day after the massive first-half workload.

— Corey Seidman (@CoreySeidman) July 15, 2026

That will allow Mattingly another chance to readjust his starting rotation, as Sanchez and Wheeler could pitch the final two games of that series if the team opts to skip Rangel’s turn in the rotation once and use him out of the bullpen during that week of games.

It is smart for Mattingly to deploy his starting pitchers in this manner coming out of the All-Star break. Sanchez has handled a massive workload in the first half and started for the NL All-Star Team in the game.

Pushing him back a few more days so that he can get rest after not really being off during the break makes a lot of sense. Wheeler, who was arguably the biggest All-Star snub this year, being held to face Los Angeles makes sense in what will be a measuring stick series for the Phillies.

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