The Philadelphia Phillies, waiting to learn the identity of their first postseason opponent, will make the other club wait to learn which pitchers it will face.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson has Cristopher Sanchez lined up for the National League Division opener, which will be played on Saturday in Philadelphia against either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Cincinnati Reds.
As for his pitching plans beyond, Thomson said on Wednesday, “I have (a rotation), but I’m going to hold it close to the vest.”
Thomson attempted to keep his squad sharp amid a five-day layoff by holding in an intrasquad game on Wednesday. The contest at Citizens Bank Park drew more than 31,000 fans who paid $10 per ticket with the money earmarked for the club’s charity. Bryce Harper’s team won 3-0.
“We wanted to do it last year, but it was too late to pull everything together,” Thomson said of the scrimmage. “This year we got ahead of it. Great response from our fan base … a lot of money going to charity, so it’s for a good cause. And hopefully it helps the players.”
As for which players will be on the roster, the Phillies again will wait to make a public pronouncement. However, center fielder Johan Rojas won’t be on the NLDS roster due to a quad ailment that has sidelined him since late July. If Philadelphia advances to the NL Championship Series, Rojas might be able to return, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said this week.
The Phillies have to turn around a trend that has seen their postseason results diminish year-by-year. After losing in the 2022 World Series, they fell in the 2023 NLCS, then were knocked out in the 2024 NLDS.
“Since 2022 when we got knocked out in the World Series, I truly believe there’s a little more motivation every year,” Thomson said. “(The players) know we’ve missed some opportunities. It’s tough to get in the playoffs, tough to go all the way, but every year they get a little hungrier to get it done.”
