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Phillies face the Braves with their season on the line; what history says about a Philly comeback; live updates

Cristopher Sánchez will take the mound in Atlanta in a win-or-go-home wild-card game for the Phillies.

The season rests on the shoulders of Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez, who will start Game 2 against the Braves Wednesday.
The season rests on the shoulders of Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez, who will start Game 2 against the Braves Wednesday.Read more
Yong Kim / Staff Photographer
What you should know

  1. The Phillies (0-1) face the Atlanta Braves (1-0) in Game 2 of their best-of-three wild-card series (2 p.m., NBC). A loss and the Phillies' season is over.

  2. Cristopher Sánchez will take the mound for the Phillies, who need him to go deep. He's the reason fans should remain hopeful, writes columnist David Murphy.

  3. The Braves will counter with righty Tyler Mahle.

  4. Matt Breen says fans shouldn't blame Don Mattingly for the Phillies' Game 1 collapse. It still might cost him his job, writes columnist Marcus Hayes.

One reason the Phillies could still beat the Braves

Despite wasting an exceptional outing from Jesús Luzardo, the Philiess should have a pitching advantage in Game 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.

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.

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.

» READ MORE: Don’t blame Don Mattingly for the Phillies’ Game 1 collapse; can the season be saved?

— Matt Breen

History isn't on the side of a Phillies' wild-card comeback

If the Phillies hope to comeback 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 divisional 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.

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.

Full wild-card schedule for Wednesday

  1. Phillies (0-1) at Braves (1-0): 2 p.m. on NBC

  2. White Sox (1-0) at Astros (0-1): 5 p.m. on NBCSN

  3. Red Sox (0-1) at Yankees (1-0): 8 p.m. on NBC

  4. Cubs (0-1) at Padres (1-0): 9:30 p.m. on NBCSN

— Rob Tornoe