Roster decisions, a bullpen question, and more: What to watch for as the Phillies get set for the playoffs

PHOENIX — It started last Sunday, with the inevitability of clinching a playoff berth. One night later, amid Champagne sprays and chugs of beer — in Bryce Harper’s case, apple juice — the National League East was won.

And, suddenly, the Phillies checked off two goals.

By the end of the weekend, it’s likely they will have locked up a bye through the best-of-three wild-card round, a trapdoor that’s best avoided. The top seed in the National League isn’t out of reach either.

After that, well, what’s left, other than reaching the finish line in one piece?

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But the last week of the regular season won’t be devoid of intrigue. As the Phillies host the Marlins and Twins, team officials will meet to arrange the playoff roster and finalize the starting rotation after Cristopher Sánchez in Game 1. And they will discuss the best practices for balancing rest with avoiding rust.

Last year, the Phillies carried 12 pitchers and 14 position players for the division series. For now, let’s assume they do that again. In that case:

But are Kemp and Wilson redundant? And what happens if manager Rob Thomson calls on Castellanos to hit for Kepler against a lefty reliever late in a game, the Phillies rally to take the lead, and Castellanos has to play right field?

It would seem, then, that there’s a defense/pinch-running role off the bench for Johan Rojas, if the Phillies choose to recall him after the triple-A season ends Sunday.

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Through Wednesday, Rojas had hits in 10 of 13 games this month for Lehigh Valley and was batting .280 with a .331 on-base percentage in 33 games since getting sent down on Aug. 1. More significantly, though, he could join Bader and Marsh to give the Phillies elite late-inning outfield defense.

Intriguing, right?

There are other players and story lines to monitor over the final week of the season. Here’s some of what we will be watching:

It’s undeniable that the deadline trade for Duran changed the bullpen — and not only because of the star closer’s triple-digit heater and wicked splinker and curveball.

With Duran, nobody wonders anymore who will pitch the ninth inning in a close game.

It’s still up to the other relievers, though, to get the Phillies to Duran with a lead. Strahm entered the weekend series in Arizona with a 1.56 ERA in his last 17⅓ innings. Banks, another lefty, is in Thomson’s circle of trust after a solid season. Robertson has been more good than bad since signing as a free agent in July.

» READ MORE: The Jhoan Duran Effect is real so far, and there’s precedent for what the Phillies hope he delivers

Strahm will be part of the late-inning mix. Ideally, Banks and Robertson are best utilized in the middle of the game, especially if Thomson has a shorter leash with the starters in the playoffs. And pushing them into the fifth and sixth innings would be easier if Kerkering is reliable again in the seventh and eighth.

Kerkering went through a six-game spell last month in which he allowed five runs on six hits and five walks. In six appearances since, Thomson has used him in mostly lower-leverage situations, and Kerkering gave up two runs on four hits and two walks in those games.

Better, but still not dominant.

Kerkering’s signature pitch is a sweeping slider. But he must command his fastball to keep hitters off the sweeper.

To wit: Kerkering tried to elevate a fastball in the seventh inning Monday night at Dodger Stadium but didn’t get it high enough, enabling Mookie Betts to launch it for a game-tying homer. Two nights later, he uncorked a two-strike heater above the zone. Betts made contact but only fouled it off before flying out on a sweeper.

It will be important for Kerkering to figure things out in the final week of the season. Because as dominant as Duran is, he can’t be a factor if the bridge that leads to him isn’t sturdy.

Nola has two more starts — Saturday in Arizona and likely Friday night at home against the Twins — to nudge his way into making a start in the division series.

Maybe it won’t matter.

The Phillies haven’t divulged their NLDS rotation beyond Sánchez, although Suárez is most likely the Game 2 starter. It’s possible Thomson and pitching coach Caleb Cotham have already made up their minds that Luzardo will start Game 3.

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It isn’t merely that Luzardo has outpitched Nola. Consider, too, how the potential division series opponents fared against lefty and righty starters through Wednesday night:

And just for the heck of it, because we’ve all seen the Mets lately:

The point is, as unconventional as a three-lefty rotation tends to be, it also may be the right way to go given the lineups the Phillies might face.

Luzardo has dominated the Cubs, in particular, allowing one earned run in 12 innings over two starts. He also blanked the Dodgers for seven innings in April at home. He’s had success against the Mets, too.

But if the Phillies are going to go all the way, they will need a fourth starter for at least one game in the NLCS and one in the World Series. It would be helpful, then, if they knew Nola was closer to the pitcher who shut out the Mets for six innings on Sept. 8 and didn’t allow a hit through three innings six days later than the one who gave up a triple, RBI double, single, and three-run homer in a span of four batters in the sixth inning against the Royals last Sunday.

Maybe these last two starts will offer clarity.

Turner stayed home during the West Coast trip to continue his recovery. Based on updates given by Thomson, it was a good week. Barring a setback, Turner will likely get into games before the end of the season.

But will he come back uninhibited?

Last season, Turner missed 44 games with a more severe strain of his left hamstring. He came back in June but didn’t attempt a stolen base until his 15th game.

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“He was probably still recovering a little bit,” Thomson said. “But also there’s kind of a fear in there for everybody when they come back from injury, whether it’s a pitcher coming off Tommy John [elbow surgery] or some type of injury. It’s always in the back of your mind.

“Hopefully we can get through that when he’s 100%, and he runs 100%.”

» READ MORE: The Phillies should get Trea Turner back this season. But which player will they have for the playoffs?

Bohm’s return will be every bit as fascinating.

The Phillies expect Bohm back in the lineup Friday night after missing 10 days with inflammation in his left shoulder. It’s Bohm’s front shoulder when he swings, which might explain his 3-for-31 slump.

But it has been a disappointing season overall for Bohm. He started slow, then batted .308 with an .801 OPS over a 77-game stretch before missing nearly a month after the All-Star break with a fractured rib.

At his best, Bohm is a doubles-hitting run producer from the right side of the plate who bats behind Harper. If that version of Bohm shows up in October, the middle of the order would get a considerable boost.