- What you should know
- The Phillies (1-1) tied up their wild-card series against the Atlanta Braves (1-1) with a 4-3 win in Game 2 Wednesday. Game 3 will take place Thursday.
- Alec Bohm hit the game-winning home run in the 10th inning, while Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper tied it up with back-to-back bombs in the eighth.
- Cristopher Sánchez took the Phillies into the seventh inning, and rookie Andrew Painter closed out the game.
- Matt Breen says fans shouldn’t blame Don Mattingly for the Phillies’ Game 1 collapse. It still might cost Mattingly his job, writes columnist Marcus Hayes.
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// Timestamp 09/30/26 6:01pm
Alec Bohm, Phillies find their power late to beat the Braves and force a Game 3
ATLANTA — Staring down the potential end of his Phillies tenure, Alec Bohm set up against Didier Fuentes in the 10th inning.
With the Phillies facing elimination from their wild-card series in Game 2, and Bohm nearing free agency, it was fair to wonder as he dug in if it could be his final at-bat in a Phillies uniform. But with one swing, Bohm ensured the season would extend another day. The infielder powered a fastball over the wall in right field to put the Phillies in front for a 4-3 victory over Atlanta in 10 innings on Wednesday.
Backed by gutsy pitching performances from start to finish, the Phillies staved off elimination and forced a Game 3 to decide the series on Thursday. Rookie Andrew Painter pitched the final three innings to get the win in his playoff debut. The Braves advanced the go-ahead run to first on a pair of singles in the 10th, but Painter did not falter. He went right after Dominic Smith, getting two swings on his changeup.
Harper moved back to right field at the trade deadline in a switch he and the Phillies thought might give them the best chance to win in October. But a misread on a fly ball from Drake Baldwin in a crucial moment in the seventh led to it going over his head and Atlanta taking the lead.
He found a way to redeem himself with his bat. Three pitches after Schwarber sent one from Dylan Lee 447 feet, Harper gave a slider a ride to right center to tie the game at 3.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 5:50pm
When will Phillies-Braves Game 3 start?
We know the Phillies and Braves will face off in Game 3 Thursday. We just don’t yet know when.
Under most scenarios, Game 3 will start at 2 p.m. Thursday on NBC, just like Games 1 and 2.
If the only remaining series are Phillies-Braves and White Sox-Astros, then Game 3 would start at 8 p.m. on NBC.
Game 3 will also start at 8 p.m. if Phillies-Braves is the only remaining series heading into Thursday.
If the Phillies overcome the odds and manage to defeat the Braves, they’ll advance to the National League divisional series and face the Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 1 would be Saturday at either 4 p.m. on Fox or 9 p.m. on FS1, depending how the wild-card round plays out.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 5:20pm
Phillies win Game 2 in extra innings
ATLANTA – Andrew Painter locked it down.
With a tap of his cap, Painter challenged the final pitch, got a called strike against Dominic Smith, and the Phillies celebrated a come-from-behind 4-3 victory to even their best-of-three wildcard series.
The season will come down to Game 3 on Thursday.
Painter entered in relief in the eighth inning and tossed three scoreless innings. The 23-year-old rookie gave up three hits and struck out the side in the 10th – with singles by Mauricio Dubon and Michael Harris II mixed in.
Alec Bohm’s go-ahead solo homer in the 10th inning was the difference after Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit back-to-back solo homers in the eighth inning to tie the game.
The Phillies are expected to have both Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler available to pitch in Game 3. The Braves haven’t named a starter but could counter with right-hander Grant Holmes.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 5:06pm
Andrew Painter starts the 10th to close Game 2
// Timestamp 09/30/26 5:06pm
// Timestamp 09/30/26 5:03pm
Phillies take the lead in the 10th on Bohm homer
ATLANTA – Alec Bohm whipped his right arm in the air as he rounded the bases.
Bohm gave the Phillies a 4-3 lead in the 10th inning with a two-out solo homer into the right-field bleachers. They rallied from a 3-1 deficit with back-to-back solo homers, also to right field, by Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in the eighth inning.
Andrew Painter, who held the Braves scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, will return to the mound to pitch the 10th against dangerous Matt Olson, Mauricio Dubon, and Austin Riley.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 4:57pm
Game 2 heads to extra innings, no ‘ghost runners’
The Phillies and Braves enter extra tinnings tied 3-3, but they won’t be joined by any “ghost runners.”
MLB’s designated runner rule puts a player on second base to begin each half-inning if a game is tied after nine innings. The rule was an attempt to preserve pitching staffs and avoid extra-long regular season games.
But during the playoffs, that rule is out the window.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 4:38pm
Andrew Painter makes postseason debut coming out of the bullpen
// Timestamp 09/30/26 4:32pm
Phillies tie the Braves on back-to-back homers by Schwarber and Harper
ATLANTA – If ever there was a time for a one-two punch, this was it.
Kyle Schwarber.
Bryce Harper.
Boom. Boom.
Trailing 3-1 in the eighth inning, with the Braves bringing tough lefty reliever Dylan Lee into the game, Schwarber and Harper hit the first back-to-back homers for the Phillies in the postseason since Aaron Rowand and Pat Burrell on Oct. 3, 2007 in Game 1 of the NL division series against Colorado.
Harper’s homer was redemptive after he misjudged a fly ball that went over his head for a go-ahead RBI double by Drake Baldwin in the bottom of the seventh inning.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 4:21pm
Braves add another run on Matt Olson sacrifice fly
// Timestamp 09/30/26 4:18pm
Braves take the lead after Bryce Harper misplays fly ball
ATLANTA – Bryce Harper froze.
With runners on first and second in the seventh inning of a tie game, Drake Baldwin hit a line drive to right field. Harper misjudged it, and by the time he began to retreat to the right-field wall, the ball went over his head.
Sean Murphy scored from second base with the go-ahead run before the Braves tacked on with a sacrifice fly to take a 3-1 lead and knock Cristopher Sanchez from the game.
The seventh inning began with Sanchez throwing a close pitch to Murphy. Unlike last year, when Sanchez had a borderline pitch to Alex Call go against him in the seventh inning of an elimination game against the Dodgers, plate umpire Adam Beck called a strike. But Murphy challenged with the automatic ball-strike system and got the call overturned.
Murphy overturned another called strike later in the at-bat and drew a leadoff walk. He slid safely into second base on a sacrifice bunt by Ha-Seong Kim to give the Braves a two-on, one-out rally.
Sanchez struck out Ronald Acuna Jr. before Harper’s gaffe on Baldwin’s drive. After Ozzie Albies walked intentionally, Matt Olson lifted the sacrifice fly.
With that, the Phillies lifted Sanchez, who threw 116 pitches, the most he has thrown in a game in his career.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 4:05pm
Phillies keep Game 2 tied with clutch double play
ATLANTA — When the Phillies rearranged their infield after the trade deadline, Don Mattingly noted that Alec Bohm’s move to first base was the least of his concerns.
“I’ve seen him enough at first,” Mattingly said. “I felt he was really good at first.”
Bohm might have saved the season in the sixth inning when he started a double play to get Cristopher Sanchez out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation.
Michael Harris II hit a chopper to Bohm, who fielded it and threw to home plate to force out Ozzie Albies. Then, he snagged the return throw from catcher J.T. Realmuto, which appeared to be up the line.
Sanchez pumped his fist and screamed as he walked off the mound. His pitch count stands at 91 through six innings.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 3:52pm
Sánchez gets out of a jam, but his pitch count is climbing
ATLANTA — Cristopher Sánchez sidestepped a Braves rally in the fifth inning.
That was the good news for the Phillies.
But while Sánchez worked around a one-out double by Sean Murphy to strand the go-ahead run on second base — with an assist to catcher J.T. Realmuto — he also walked off the mound having thrown a total of 80 pitches.
After Murphy’s double, Realmuto challenged an 0-1 pitch to No. 9-hitting Ha-Seong Kim. It was overturned, leading to an 0-2 count. Kim fouled off the next pitch, which Realmuto caught against the netting behind home plate for the second out.
The Phillies walked Ronald Acuna Jr. intentionally before getting Drake Baldwin to ground out.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 3:15pm
Cristopher Sánchez cruises through three innings
ATLANTA — Don Mattingly said before today’s Game 2 that he expects to push Cristopher Sánchez deep into his start today, if he can.
“As long as he’s throwing the ball good, getting outs,” Mattingly said. “I can’t push him if he’s giving up runs.”
So far, so good on that front. Sánchez gave up a first-inning run on a walk, two stolen bases, and a single, but he has not allowed another hit since to Atlanta. Through three innings, he has used 51 pitches, but he seems to be getting stronger and more dialed in with his location. In the third inning, Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. didn’t lift the bat off his shoulder once, striking out on three pitches and was visibly frustrated in the dugout afterward.
Sánchez’s changeup is working so far, too. Out of Atlanta’s six swings on the pitch, five have been whiffs.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 2:38pm
Braves even up Game 2 on Matt Olson RBI
ATLANTA — A leadoff walk to Ronald Acuña Jr. came back to bite Cristopher Sánchez and the Phillies as the Braves tied things back up in the bottom of the inning.
Acuña stole second and then third, as Edmundo Sosa did not cover the bag allowing the Braves star to advance without a throw. And when Matt Olson’s ground ball found a gap on the right side of the infield, Acuña came home easily.
Atlanta put Sánchez to work a bit in the first. Olson’s single was the only hit he allowed, but the Braves fouled off a lot of pitches, driving his pitch count up to 23. He will have to become more efficient if he is to go deep into this game like the Phillies hope.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 2:20pm
Bryce Harper RBI gives Phillies an early lead
ATLANTA — For the second consecutive day, the Phillies jumped out to a first-inning lead against the Braves.
Trea Turner started off the game with a double, and scored on a single from Bryce Harper to give Cristopher Sánchez a 1-0 lead to work with.
The Phillies could have done even more early damage against Braves righty Tyler Mahle. With runners on the corners, Harper was off on contact when Bryson Stott hit a tapper back to the mound. Harper was caught in a run down and was tagged out diving back to third.
Even so, the Phillies still had two runners on for Brandon Marsh, but the outfielder chased two splitters in the dirt to strike out and end the rally there.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 2:09pm
How the Phillies will approach Tyler Mahle
ATLANTA — The Phillies have a lot of familiarity with Atlanta’s Game 2 starter Tyler Mahle.
This season, they have faced the right-hander four times: twice with the Giants, and twice with the Braves after Mahle was traded there. Relying mainly on his fastball and splitter, Mahle has held them to a 2.28 ERA this season.
“We haven’t solved that riddle really well yet, but we’ll see today,” Mattingly said.
Since the Aug. 2 trade to Atlanta, he’s become even sharper. Mahle had a 5.13 ERA in 18 starts with San Francisco but a 1.99 ERA in nine starts with Atlanta. But Mattingly thinks the Phillies hitters’ familiarity could be an asset while game-planning.
“There’s going to be a plan for each guy individually,” Mattingly said. “Like if I’m a good high ball hitter, I’m gonna push this guy up in the zone. Get him down for a little while, see if he throw strikes down there. But if you’re a guy that hits the ball down, that split may end up being right where I like it. So it depends with each guy, but there should be a solid approach.”
// Timestamp 09/30/26 1:32pm
Jhoan Duran could pitch in Game 2 if needed
ATLANTA – If the Phillies have a lead in the late innings today, will they have their star closer available?
Jhoan Duran threw 27 pitches in Game 1, his highest total since Aug. 16. He entered in the seventh inning and retired the side but began to tire in the eighth and allowed a go-ahead three-run homer to Austin Riley on a 100-mph fastball over the heart of the plate.
But Duran is the Phillies’ best reliever – by a wide margin. Interim manager Don Mattingly won’t stray from using him in Game 2, assuming he’s available. Asked after Game 1 if he would be able to pitch, Duran said, “Maybe yes, maybe not,” depending on how he felt after playing catch Wednesday.
Mattingly said he expected to receive a “thumbs up” from Duran but was waiting until for the relievers to go through their pregame workouts.
“Well, it’s like every other day; we’ll see how he throws the ball,” Mattingly said. “He’s been honest with us all year long. If he feels good or not, or he’s good to go, then we go with that.”
// Timestamp 09/30/26 11:45am
Zack Wheeler not available Wednesday, Aaron Nola could pitch in ‘total emergency’
ATLANTA — If the Phillies are able to extend their season, Zack Wheeler and probably Aaron Nola would be in the pitching plans Thursday for a decisive Game 3 of the wild-card miniseries.
Wheeler isn’t available out of the bullpen here Wednesday after having thrown 97 pitches in the regular-season finale Sunday, according to interim manager Don Mattingly. But the ace is expected to be a factor Thursday, possibly even to start, on three days’ rest.
“I would think so,” Mattingly said. “I would think so. And even (Thursday) anyway, if Noles starts it.”
Speaking of Nola, he started Saturday night on two days’ rest in a desperate move that backfired when he allowed three runs in the first inning. He’s available Wednesday only in “a total emergency,” Mattingly said, as the Phillies hope to save him for a Game 3 start.
“He threw his (between-starts) pen the other day, so he’s built up for it,” Mattingly said. “Yeah, we expect him to take the ball tomorrow.”
If there is one for the Phillies.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 11:34am
Phillies revise Game 2 lineup
After releasing a lineup featuring Bryson Stott batting cleanup, the Phillies revised their Game 2 batting order to have Alec Bohm batting fourth. Stott will instead bat fifth.
“Clerical error when we sent it out,” interim manager Don Mattingly said Wednesday morning.
Here’s the rest of the Phillies’ lineup:
- SS Trea Turner
- DH Kyle Schwarber
- RF Bryce Harper
- 1B Alec Bohm
- 2B Bryson Stott
- LF Brandon Marsh
- 3B Edmundo Sosa
- CF Justin Crawford
- C J.T. Realmuto
// Timestamp 09/30/26 10:32am
Why do the Phillies have three catchers on their playoff roster?
I’m still thinking about how the Phillies have three catchers on their postseason roster – J.T. Realmuto, Rafael Marchán, and Garrett Stubbs
What do you do with three catchers in a three-game series? That’s like the Eagles dressing four quarterbacks.
The construction of the bullpen got a lot of attention after Tuesday’s loss, but don’t overlook how a team with a $320 million payroll started Derek Hill, Bryan De La Cruz, and Edmundo Sosa at No. 5, 6, and 8 while Atlanta had Michael Harris II, Ozzie Albies, and Austin Riley hitting 5-7.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 8:57am
One reason the Phillies could still beat the Braves
Despite wasting an exceptional outing from Jesús Luzardo, the Phillies should have a pitching advantage in Games 2 and 3.
Tyler Mahle, who is starting Game 2, was excellent after being acquired at the trade deadline from San Francisco, and allowed just one run this season in three starts against the Phils.
But he did get roughed up by the Reds last week in his final start of the regular season and had a 5.13 ERA with the Giants before coming to Atlanta. He’s human and Cristopher Sánchez is the better pitcher who the Phils hope can do enough to force a Game 3.
If so, the Phils will have all hands on deck (even Zack Wheeler) against Grant Holmes. The Braves placed Bryce Elder and Martin Perez on the injured list in September, depleting even more of their options after Chris Sale and Mahle. If the Phils win one of the first two games, they’ll take their chances in an elimination game against Holmes.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 7:56am
Cristopher Sánchez to start Game 2, and they’ll need him to go deep
The Phillies will pin their hopes of staying alive in the playoffs to Cristopher Sánchez, and he did win 18 games with a 2.91 ERA. They went 23-10 in his starts, albeit only 8-6 on the road and 0-2 against the Braves.
But unless Sánchez throws a complete game, Phillies manager Don Mattingly will face the conundrum of how to get the last three, six, or more outs from less than a handful of trustworthy options.
Zack Wheeler would be on two days’ rest after throwing 97 pitches Sunday in the must-win regular-season finale. Aaron Nola would be on three days’ rest after starting on two days’ rest Saturday night. And the Phillies probably need to hold him back to start a potential Game 3 here Thursday.
Duran threw 27 pitches, his highest total since Aug. 16. Could he pitch again Wednesday in Game 2?
“Maybe yes, maybe not,” he said. “I don’t know. I need to do my catch play first.”
Rookie righty Alex McFarlane will be available after only 16 pitches in the sixth inning. But he gave up the go-ahead run on a hard single by Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies’ triple off over center fielder Derek Hill’s outstretched glove at the wall in right-center field.
Mattingly suggested that Jonathan Bowlan was an option in the ninth inning if Duran had gotten through the eighth. Rookie starter Andrew Painter will sit in the bullpen again, and could easily get a phone call even though he hasn’t pitched in relief.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 7:55am
Phillies face a tough opponent in Tyler Mahle
It’s going to be tough to beat Atlanta Braves starter Tyler Mahle on Wednesday.
He faced the Phillies twice in six days earlier this month, allowing one earned run in 13 innings as the Braves started to run away with the division. He struggled in San Francisco but was much better there after returning from the injured list in late June and blooming into a smart buy-low candidate at the trade deadline.
Mahle dominated the Phillies by mostly throwing a fastball and splitter as he simplified his arsenal since joining the Braves. He doesn’t throw hard but has a ground-ball rate similar to Jesús Luzardo and induced 19 groundouts over those two starts against the Phils. He’ll be looking for that weak contact again.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 7:50am
History isn’t on the side of a Phillies’ wild-card comeback
If the Phillies hope to come back against the Atlanta Braves, they’ll also need to overcome history.
For starters, the Phillies will need to win two straight games against the Braves to move on to the National League Division Series. Over the past month, the Phillies have won games on back-to-back days just once – Sept. 16 and 17 against the Washington Nationals.
Since 2022, when MLB made the best-of-three wild-card series permanent, 16 teams have gone down 0-1. Just one team — the New York Yankees in 2025 — managed to come back to win the series.
There’s also Phillies history to overcome. Philly is 0-9 all-time when losing Game 1 in any postgame series.
// Timestamp 09/30/26 7:45am
Don Mattingly’s future with the Phillies in peril
ATLANTA — As Don Mattingly settled into his seat on the golf cart to return to his clubhouse after he’d mismanaged his flawed roster into an eighth-inning collapse, Braves ace Chris Sale strode toward the interview room to discuss his role in the Braves’ 5-3 win in Game 1 of the National League wild-card series.
With his magnificent left hand, Sale doffed his cap and tipped it in Mattingly’s direction. Mattingly’s head was down, understandably. Sale, persistent, took his cap off and tipped it again. Mattingly nodded appreciatively.
After Mattingly’s performance Tuesday, that might be the last time the pair sees each other for a long, long time. Mattingly is the Phillies’ interim manager, and he wants to come back next season. A report last month said Mattingly would have to win the NL pennant to make that happen.
That yardstick got longer Tuesday.
Mattingly used his best reliever, closer Jhoan Duran, in a situation overwhelmingly foreign to Duran. The decision smacked of the odd and desperate moves that cost Rob Thomson the manager’s job 28 games into this season. Mattingly was installed by Phillies president Dave Dombrowski last winter as Thomson’s bench coach to mitigate misjudgments like this. Mattingly was promoted to interim manager in April with the assumption that such misjudgments would not continue.
Yes.
Well.
Full wild-card schedule for Wednesday
- Phillies (0-1) at Braves (1-0): 2 p.m. on NBC
- White Sox (1-0) at Astros (0-1): 5 p.m. on NBCSN
- Red Sox (0-1) at Yankees (1-0): 8 p.m. on NBC
- Cubs (0-1) at Padres (1-0): 9:30 p.m. on NBCSN
// Timestamp 09/30/26 7:40am
