What to know about the Phillies, who again face Braves in postseason

The Braves (94-68) and Phillies (88-74) will resume their rivalry in the postseason yet again. They’ll play a best-of-three wild card series at Truist Park beginning Tuesday.

What to know about the Phillies:

— The Phillies have made the postseason for five consecutive years. They’ve reached the National League Championship Series twice in that span. They lost to the Astros in the 2022 World Series.

— Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly, who replaced the dismissed Rob Thomson after the club’s terrible start (the Phillies’ second time pulling such maneuver over the past five years) is familiar with the Braves from his days managing the Marlins. The Braves eliminated the Marlins in the 2020 NLDS.

— But the Phillies have had success against the Braves on this stage. They eliminated the favored Braves in 2022 and 2023 in the NLDS, series that sparked this rivalry into what it has become today. They also defeated the Braves in the 1993 NLCS. The Braves are 4-10 against the Phillies in the postseason overall.

— The Braves took the NL East from the Phillies this year after the latter won consecutive division titles. The teams have won 25 of the 31 division titles under this division’s iteration. The rivalry has recently included juicy dialogue, such as the infamous “Atta boy, Harper” comment from the postseason a few years ago. Phillies ace Zack Wheeler expressed displeasure with how slowly Ronald Acuña Jr. rounded the bases after a home run earlier this month. Perhaps this meeting will include some extracurriculars as well.

— The Phillies barely kept their playoff spot. They required a win in the regular season finale, deploying Wheeler in the process, to hold off a red-hot Diamondbacks team that was surging as the Phillies wilted. The Phillies went 10-14 in September. They went 3-4 against the Braves during this time (perhaps a more meaningful data point than the Braves winning five of six against the Phillies at the season’s outset).

But truthfully, baseball reminds us again and again that teams can stumble to the finish line, then catch fire in October. In 2023, the Rangers faded down the stretch and squandered the American League West. The Diamondbacks were swept by the Astros in the final weekend. A month later, they faced each other in the Fall Classic.

— The Braves will start Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle in the first two games. The Phillies’ plans aren’t so crystalized. Andrew Painter, Jesús Luzardo and Aaron Nola are options. Luzardo notably pitched a 12-strikeout shutout against the Braves on Sept. 7, but he’s made only one appearance (an inning of relief Sunday) since.

Painter, a once-lauded Phillies prospect who hasn’t yet found his form in the majors, had a solid September. He owned a 3.49 ERA in five outings. He held the Brewers to one run over six frames in his final start. Nola, who surrendered three runs over 13⅓ innings (two starts) against the Braves this month, pitched one inning Saturday, giving up three runs.

The phenomenal Cristopher Sanchez will be on normal rest for Game 2. It would seem likely the Phillies would turn to Wheeler on short rest if there is a Game 3. Sanchez allowed three runs in 12 innings against the Braves this season (2.25 ERA in two starts).

The Phillies’ rotation has long made them a nightmarish potential postseason opponent. But their recent offensive shortcomings and leaky bullpen leave them vulnerable.

— If there’s an area in which the Braves have a clear advantage, it’s the bullpen. The Phillies have struggled to bridge the gap to closer Jhoan Duran. Their 4.36 bullpen ERA ranks 22nd.

— Offensively, the Phillies were a disaster in the final month of the regular season. They are now dealing with some uncertainty surrounding contact extraordinaire Luis Arráez, who sprained his ankle this weekend. It would seem he’ll be limited if he plays in this series.