The Phillies barely made the playoffs. They went 10-14 in September, losing four of their last five games and had to wait until the last day of the season to claim the National League’s third and final Wild Card spot. They had a run differential of only +15, the offense was just 19th in runs scored, the defense was shaky, and the middle relief situation was a mess all season.

To that, I say: So what?

Once you reach the playoffs, what you did in the regular season doesn’t matter aside from home field advantage. Everyone’s stats have reset to zero, and runs don’t get added or deducted based on how well you did during the season. All that matters is that the Phillies will be taking on the Atlanta Braves in a three-game series, and whichever team wins two games advances to the next round.

With that in mind, I will preview this series with a little help from Philadelphia native Pink and her hit song “So What.”

Na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na-na-na!

I’m gonna drink my money

It seems like fan opinion was split on whether or not the Phillies should have celebrated after clinching the playoffs on Sunday.

Every other team that made the playoffs celebrated the accomplishment. You think the Phillies should have declined to do so just because they didn’t make it as convincingly as you would have liked? If they had actually backed in by still qualifying after losing their final five games, then I could see being a bit more subdued. But they actively clinched by winning the game.

As for the slow finish to the season, history has shown that like just about every factor, finishing the season strong is very predictive of a playoff run…except when it isn’t. For example, from 2022 to 2025, the Phillies’ worst month of September came in 2022, which happened to be their best postseason performance. And in September 2025, the Phillies went 17-8 – including winning four of their final five – and it didn’t help them win more than a single playoff game.

I got a brand new attitude, I’m gonna wear it tonight

The Phillies have not endeared themselves to the fans lately, and the nadir came on Saturday night when it looked like they might have actually quit. Fortunately, Zack Wheeler and the offense showed up on Sunday to propel the team to victory. If that version of the Phillies shows up, they can win this series. If the Phillies we saw for most of last week is what we get, it will likely be a short stay.

I don’t know where he went

Chris Sale is scheduled to start game one for the Braves. Theoretically this is a huge advantage for the Braves as Sale is one of the best pitchers in baseball. But that dominance hasn’t always showed up in the postseason. Sale has a career postseason ERA of 6.35 with a couple of really bad outings in there. He also hasn’t pitched in the playoffs since 2021.

Sale faced the Phillies four times this season. He undeniably did well against them, but familiarity often works against a pitcher come playoff time. If they don’t hit well against him, it won’t be because they don’t have a good scouting report or were taken by surprise.

The waiter just took my table

The Phillies’ trade deadline has turned out to be somewhat of a disaster with all the players they acquired having disappointed, gotten injured, or both. On the other hand, the Braves acquired starting pitcher Tyler Mahle from the Giants on August 2, and somehow, the guy who had an ERA of 5.13 with the Giants, has gone 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA in nine starting with the Braves.

Those numbers include him giving up five runs in five innings in his final start. But that was also a low-pressure tune up for the playoffs, so it’s hard to know if that actually means anything.

Mahle has spent most of his career as a cromulent mid-rotation starter, and certainly not a sub-2.00 ERA type of pitcher. It seems likely that there’s some regression due, and ideally, that regression would come on Wednesday afternoon when he’s scheduled to start game two of the series.

I’m still a rock star

One of the reasons the Phillies didn’t have a great September record is because their supposed star position players didn’t play well.

Kyle Schwarber had a drastic drop in production in the second half, and after a terrific August, Bryce Harper has been just okay over the last month. It feels like there have been a lot of pitches that he would have destroyed earlier in the season that have ended up being foul balls.

Then there’s Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto who both endured the worst seasons of their careers. Turner’s drop off from a guy who won the batting title and finished in the top five of MVP voting might be the biggest reason the Phillies’ win total dropped by seven. As for Realmuto, he finally ended his long hitless streak on Sunday. It seems clear that he can’t handle such a heavy workload anymore, but sadly, the backup catchers are somehow much worse.

For better or worse, these guys have all been here before. While the narrative seems to be that they’ve repeatedly failed in the playoffs, they’ve also had a lot of big moments in the playoffs as well. A strong run in the postseason can do wonders for flipping the narrative about how the season went.

And you’re a tool

I recently called Braves fans the softest in baseball, and sure enough, they’ve been at it again.

Let’s go over what the fans on Saturday night were enduring:

• Rainy weather
• A team that looked to be in full collapse mode
• A team that seemed incapable of scoring a run
• Falling behind early and eventually by double digits

Yes, they deserved to be booed! Any fan that didn’t boo was probably too numb to care. I’m fairly certain that just about every fanbase in America would have booed them. But probably not Braves fans. They would have left to watch college football or thrown garbage on the field.

There have already been complaints that it’s unfair for the Braves to have to play a “coin flip” series against the Phillies.

Remember that Braves fans whined endlessly about how unfair it was that they had to sit for a couple of days when they earned a bye through the Wild Card series in 2022 and 2023. Now it’s unfair that they actually have to play in the series?

It’s like they don’t understand or appreciate the very concept of playoffs. I guess if they had their way, we would just crown the regular season champion Brewers as the champions of baseball. (That might be the only way the Brewers ever get a title!)

You weren’t there, you never were

When these teams met in Philadelphia earlier in the month, the main character of the series was Ronald Acuña, Jr. He hit two key home runs and then did his celebratory home run trot, and for some reason, Braves fans acted like Zack Wheeler went on a hysterical tirade about it, even though he clearly did not.

The Phillies will need to do better against Acuña this time around, although shutting down Acuña in the playoffs hasn’t been all that much of an issue in the past. (He was a combined 7-29 in the 2022 and 2023 NLDS) The one year the Braves actually did make a run was 2021 when Acuña, coincidentally or not, missed the playoffs due to injury.

We’re all gonna get in a fight

Based on recent history (“Atta boy!”), there does seem to be some legitimate bad blood between these teams, which usually adds a degree of fun to a playoff series. I doubt there are going to be any “message pitches” or physical alterations, but it feels like the players would get a little extra pleasure from winning this series.

I gave you life, I gave my all

The Phillies have been carried by their starting rotation for most of the season. Can that strength carry them through this round of the playoffs?

Jesus Luzardo will start game one. He was dominant against the Braves this year, but after missing three weeks with shoulder inflammation, it’s unclear how long he’ll be able to pitch. Andrew Painter will follow him, and it’s tough to know what to expect from the rookie after his inconsistent season.

Presumably, Cristopher Sanchez will start game two. Sanchez was 0-2 against the Braves, but that’s more of an indictment of the defense (three unearned runs in 12 innings) and offense (three total runs scored in support in the two games).

Aaron Nola is scheduled for game three. (No, I don’t think they should start Zack Wheeler on short rest.) He faced the Braves three times, and based on how his overall season went, it shouldn’t surprise you that his start against them in April went poorly, while his two starts in September went well. (Three earned runs in 13.1 innings.)

Much like with Sale against the Phillies, nothing these guys do should surprise the Braves.

You let me fall

The Phillies have one of the best starting rotations in baseball. They also have a top closer. But it’s the guys who pitch in between them that has everyone understandably worried. Who among the setup relievers do you trust in this bullpen to hold a lead right now? Anyone?

The bullpen was probably the primary reason the Phillies exited the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, and those teams seemed to be in better shape entering the postseason than this year’s edition. The 2026 bullpen has a bunch of questionable arms, and a manager who hasn’t shown much of a knack for handling them.

The Phillies may need to pull from the 2019 Nationals’ playbook and use their starters in off-day relief appearances. But they will need to use some actual relievers at some point. Hopefully guys like Alex McFarlane, Jonathan Bowlan, and whatever lefthanders Don Mattingly trots out on a given day can come through.

I don’t want you tonight

The television schedule makers have made it clear that they don’t consider Phillies vs. Braves to be a marquee matchup since they’ll be relegated to the 2PM slot every game. It makes some sense. Yankees vs. Red Sox gets the 7 PM slot 10/10 times and the other two matchup feature western teams. (Although they certainly could have swapped them with the White Sox vs. Astros.)

Most of us are working at 2 PM, so hopefully, you’ll be able to either watch it somehow, avoid spoilers until you can watch, or just have to follow along remotely. Since I work from home, it isn’t a major problem for me, unless I’m unfortunately scheduled for a meeting during that time.

And guess what?

The final trivia answer of the season: In the first game the Phillies ever played at Tropicana Field, future Hall of Famers Scott Rolen, Fred McGriff, and Wade Boggs all played. Dirkniblick got it right.

Thanks for everyone who played this season!

I’m gonna show you tonight

Braves fans can talk a big game, but considering the history between the teams, you know they can’t be pleased about having to face the Phillies in the playoffs again.

Will history repeat itself? I honestly don’t know. I think the starting pitching will at least keep them in every game, but after that, it’s hard to predict much with this team. They’ve gone through stretches where they consistently get on base and then get hits with runners in scoring position. They also have stretches where every hitter seems to want to be the hero and pops up the first pitch as soon as a runner gets aboard.

It may come down to how well the bullpen performs, and that’s not a reassuring thought. But worse bullpens than this one have won playoff series, and the Phillies’ best hope might be that if the Braves find themselves trailing in the late innings, those past playoff failures start weighing on them, and they’re the ones who start pressing at the plate.

For what it’s worth, the Phillies seem to view themselves as a battle-tested team who has been there before. It’s time for them to back that up and show they have what it takes.

Go Phils!

Every generation has its random breakout journeyman, the guy who comes up, thrusts himself into the limelight with some big performances in key spots, and then, in time, fades into relative obscurity. In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, it was Shane Spencer. For the mid-2010s, Yangervis Solarte and Prestone Claiborne briefly locked down the hot corner and a middle relief spot, respectively. During the Baby Bomber years, Greg Bird, Mike Tauchman, and Oswaldo Cabrera each took a turn in this role, becoming — at least for a time — fan favorites.

Once upon a time, that flash-in-the-pan star was Shelley Duncan, now the manager for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate, the Scranton (no longer) RailRiders.

David Shelley Duncan
Born: September 29, 1979 (Tucson, Arizona)
Yankees Tenure: 2007-09

On this day in 1979, Duncan was born into a baseball family. The son of former A’s catcher Dave Duncan and brother of the late 2006 Cardinals champion Chris Duncan, he played ball at Canyon del Oro High School in the Tucson suburb of Oro Valley, alongside future All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler. From there, he went on to the University of Arizona, where he was named an All-American first team outfielder by Baseball America as a freshman and a Pac-10 All-Star the following year. Based on his performance, he was drafted by the Yankees in the second round of the 2001 draft.

Upon joining the Yankees organization, Duncan began to slowly but steadily climb through the ranks: he spent 2003 and 2004 in High-A Tampa, broke out with Double-A Trenton in 2005, then reached Triple-A Columbus in 2006. He began the 2007 season with Triple-A Scranton (the Yankees swapped minor league affiliates that winter), before he got the call to the Show on July 20, 2007; with the team 7.5 games behind the first-place Red Sox in the standings and barely sitting up above .500, the Yankees were looking for a jolt — and fortunately, the hard-hitting outfielder provided.

Batting ninth and DHing during his first career start, Duncan went 1-for-4 with an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth, capping off a rally that made a 13-1 Yankees deficit into a not-quite-as-awful-but-still-bad 13-4 loss. The next day, he hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth for his first career home run, helping lead the Bombers past the Devil Rays. Two games later, he had his first multi-homer day, driving in four runs as the Yankees absolutely obliterated Tampa Bay 21-4.

Duncan excelled in a part-time role down the stretch for the 2007 Yankees, slashing .257/.329/.554 with 7 homers in 83 plate appearances. While he wasn’t the main reason for the 44-22 finish to the season to secure a Wild Card spot, his ability to produce off the bench certainly helped ensure the Yankees finished the season with the best offense in the American League.

Duncan spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons bouncing between Scranton and the Bronx, slashing just .181/.250/.264 in 80 plate appearances in the Majors, but earning the 2009 International League MVP while leading the league in home runs and runs batted in. On the back of these performances, when he chose free agency after the season when outrighted to Scranton, signing a deal with Cleveland that January.

Duncan was a part-time player for the next three years in Cleveland, where he was teammates with future Yankee Jayson Nix. Splitting time between first base, left field, and the DH spot, he posted a .231/.309/.430 slash with 33 homers across three seasons. Following a brief spell with Tampa Bay in 2013, Duncan bounced between minor league systems for the first couple of months of 2014 before hanging up the cleats for good after being released by the Reds in June.

After finishing his undergraduate degree in 2014, Duncan embarked on a minor league coaching career in 2015. He spent four years working for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization as a minor league manager, then joined the Blue Jays front office as a Major League Field Coordinator and scout. After a couple years north of the border—and unfortunately personal hardship when his brother Chris passed away from brain cancer in 2019—Duncan worked as an analyst for the Chicago White Sox for two seasons. Soon, he was back in both the dugout and the Yankees family, as he took the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders managerial job in January 2023.

Duncan has spent the last four seasons in the role, leading the RailRiders to the league finals last season while earning the 2025 International League Manager of the Year Award. Happy 47th birthday, Shelley!

See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.

Carter Jensen capped off a terrific rookie season with his best month in September. The catcher hit .338/.407/.788 with eight home runs in 20 games, leading all of baseball in month in ten doubles, 19 extra-base hits, slugging percentage, and OPS (1.194). The league recognized his performance, awarding him not only American League Rookie of the Month, but American League Player of the Month.

It is the second month in a row a Royals hitter has taken home the monthly award in the American League, with Jac Caglianone winning honors in August. The two young hitters combined for 50 of the team’s 170 home runs this year.

Jensen’s 1.194 OPS is the second-best ever by a Royals hitter with at least 20 games in September, behind only Danny Tartabull’s performance in 1987. He is the first Royals catcher to win American League Player of the Month. It is just the fifth time a Royals hitter has won American League Rookie of the Month since the award was created in 2001. Eric Hosmer won it in July and September of 2011, Brian Bannister won it in June and August of 2007, and Billy Butler won it in July of 2007. It is the 14th time that a player has won both Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month at the same time.

Jensen seems to enjoy hitting in the fall. Last year he hit .300/.391/.550 with three home runs in 16 games upon a September callup.

Overall, Jensen hit .239/.323/.467 this year with 27 home runs, 80 runs scored, and 81 RBI. His 3.7 fWAR is fourth among all MLB rookies, and his 116 wRC+ leads all qualified American League catchers.

The Braves are going with a lineup that’s simultaneously surprising and not-so-surprising in Game 1 of their three-game playoff set against the Phillies:

The top half of the lineup isn’t that surprising. Sure, maybe you expected the Braves to start with Ronald Acuña Jr. given that the nominal starter they are facing today throws with his left hand, but they’ve chosen to alternate handedness while keeping Matt Olson ensconced in the third spot in the lineup.

This means that Mauricio Dubon, of the 317 wOBA, .308 xwOBA, 99 wRC+, with an 84 wRC+ and .290 xwOBA against southpaws this season, is hitting cleanup. Now, you might say, hold on — Dubon was one of the few guys hitting for this club in September. And, that’s true — he had a 131 wRC+. But, he also outhit his xwOBA by .064 in that month, so… the Braves are hoping it works anyway, I guess?

The rest of the lineup is surprising insofar as Mike Yastrzemski slots in at DH, despite said southpaw on the mound. The Braves are either hoping Jesus Luzardo doesn’t last long enough to get to the eighth spot in the lineup (or that if he does, there was a big early rally and it doesn’t matter), or afraid that they simply don’t have enough options to protect Yastrzemski against a lefty reliever later if they start someone else and then give the reins the Yastrzemski. After all, they’re not really awash in righty pinch-hitting options.

All of this means that Dubon starts in left, and Ha-Seong Kim gets the reins at shortstop. By carrying both Rowdy Tellez and Dominic Smith, the Braves have a lot of latitude to pinch hit for Kim whenever they feel like it, including early on — and move to Dubon to short in the process — we’ll see what happens, though.

While really anything can happen and something weird probably will, this game is more likely going to be about whether the Braves’ actual good bats can do stuff against Luzardo and/or whomever replaces him (Andrew Painter? I don’t know). From Dubon-onward, only Michael Harris II has actually hit at all well this year (and he’s been great, if kind of weird offensively with strong bookend months and a lot of luck in between), so either those guys all having bad seasons manage to show a scintilla of something positive, or it’s gonna be waiting for one of the mashers to mash.

The Phillies were kind enough to post their lineup right as I was ready for it, and it looks like this:

With Luis Arraez injured, the Phillies get to plug in an extra righty. Chief Ivan Annoyer Derek Hill hits fifth, former Brave and famed horse armor aficionado Bryan De La Cruz hits sixth, and Edmundo Sosa is hovering out there and will probably annoy Chris Sale and us out of the eight hole.

I won’t do batter-versus-pitcher stats against Luzardo since I have no idea how long he’s going to last, but for those that care about these guys versus Sale:

These numbers are neither good nor bad, really. They just kind of are. Alec Bohm’s gotten a bit lucky, and Sale has dominated most of the weaker hitters (except, of course, in seven PAs, Derek f’n Hill aargh). If you sum these all up, it bodes well with a .258 wOBA / .279 xwOBA in head-to-head matchups, but of course that means managing the mischief of Bohm, Trea Turner, and Kyle Schwarber a bit, while avoiding tumbling off the Derek Hill, roo. Anyway, I can’t imagine batter-versus-pitcher has that much bearing here, but what else is there to talk about? I guess I could scratch my head about Dubon hitting cleanup some more.

This game starts at 2pm ET.

Before we get to the four main minor league clubs of the Kansas City Royals, we are going to look at the Arizona Complex League and Dominican Summer League for Royals prospects.

The ACL

Tyson Moran, a 2025, 13th round pick by the Royals from Canada, spent most of his season in the ACL. The 20-year-old shortstop had a solid year too. Moran had a slash line of .322/.406/.538 in 171 at bats. He hit 12 doubles, 2 triples and 7 homers as well. Despite being listed as a shortstop, he spent most of his time defensively at first or second base. He was a perfect .1000 on his fielding at second, but around .980 at first. Moran did end the year in Columbia, but not before a good season in the ACL.

Manuel German is a 21-year-old first baseman that the Royals signed when he was 16 out of the Dominican Republic. After going through all the Dominican Royals affiliates, German played in the ACL this season. He has played in the ACL the last two season in fact. This year, his numbers were substantially better. German slashed .308/.370/.564, all of which are way better than his 2025 campaign. German also had 19 extra base hits. He had a .975 fielding at first base.

Ricson Gonzalez turned into a fast riser this season. The 21-year-old catcher from Venezuela played in 4 different levels, playing in the ACL, Columbia, Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas. His ACL numbers were solid, slashing .292/.426/.438 over 31 games. He walked 16 times, while only striking out 19 times. He did only play a combined three games between Quad Cities and Northwest Arkansas, but did get 19 games in Columbia, where his average was better than what it was in the ACL. He threw out 20 of 69 base stealers, or 29%.

Switching over to some of the better ACL pitchers. The Royals had plenty of guys who had tons of strikeouts, but a high ERA, like Keisther Castillo, a 19-year-old right hander from the Dominican Republic. Or Jesus Oliveira, a 21-year-old right hander. A guy that we did talk about, because of what he did in Columbia, is Ryan McDonagh, a 20-year-old right hander. The Canadian was exceptional, posting a 2.57 ERA in 21 innings, allowing hitters to only bat .187 against him. He struck out 20 batters in the 21 innings, only walking 6. It was mixed bag results for him in his 12 starts at Columbia, but expect McDonagh to start next season there for sure.

Cameron Millar, a 19-year-old right hander, who the Royals drafted in the 3rd round in 2025, out of high school, threw 17 innings this season, with a 4.76 ERA. He made 7 appearances, 6 starts, allowing 15 hits, 9 runs, 5 homers, walking 3 but striking out 25. Moises Amezquita, a 22-year-old left hander from Venezuela, had a good year between the ACL and Columbia. In the ACL, Amezquita posted a 2.40 ERA in 30 innings. He struck out 21 batters and allowed just 22 hits and 8 earned runs. Batters only hit .202 against him.

The DSL

Angeibel Gomez, the 17-year-old phenom, put up video game numbers this season. In 144 at bats, he slashed .361/.467/.653. He hit 13 doubles; a triple and 9 homers did the outfielder. He was also 15 of 17 stealing bases. He had a .978 fielding percentage in centerfield, with 5 outfield assists. He will be playing in the Arizona Fall League too.

Adrián Lunar, an 18-year-old catcher from Venezuela, posted a .336/.410/.369 slash line this season. Lunar is a left-handed hitter. He only had 4 extra base hits, all those being doubles. He started 31 games at catcher and was signed this past January by the Royals. Alan Angulo, an 18-year-old shortstop, slashed .323/.468/.421 this season. He also stole 14 bases. The Royals signed Angulo when he was 17. He split time between second and third base, despite being listed as a shortstop. Max De La Cruz, a 17-year-old outfielder, slashed .263/.456/.323 this season. De La Cruz, walked 31 times, compared to 23 strikeouts. He also stole 14 bases. He played all three outfield spots and had a perfect fielding percentage, all the way around.

Marcos Hernandez, a 17-year-old catcher slashed .278/.407/.340, walking 17 times and striking out 17 times. He also threw out 21 base stealers. Roy Rivero, an 18-year-old infielder, slashed .338/.422/.424. He stole 14 bases and hit 9 doubles. Jaider Suárez, a 17-year-old infielder slashed .379/.508/.564 in 140 at bats. He hit 6 doubles, 7 triples and a pair of homers. He was also 30 of 34 stealing bases. He might be one to keep an eye on as well.

On the mound, Luis Garces, a 17-year-old left hander, from Colombia, threw 28 innings, with a 4.82 ERA. He struck out 36 batters, allowing a .245 opponents’ batting average. The Royals signed him this past January. Ricardo Montilla, a 19-year-old right hander, from Panama, pitched 16.1 innings, with a 0.55 ERA. He walked 10 batters but struck out 8. Batters hit just .214 off him. Melvin Robles, an 18-year-old left hander, made 11 starts, totaling 35.2 innings, striking out 37 batters, allowing a 3.53 ERA. Batters hit just .237 off him.

Alving Campusano, a 19-year-old right hander, from the Dominican Republic, threw 17.2 innings, striking out 14 hitters, with a 2.04 ERA. The Royals signed him when he was 17. Kenyer Penaloza, an 18-year-old right hander, from Venezuela, threw 37 innings, allowing a 3.16 ERA, striking out 23 batters. Batters hit just .206 off him. Reynell Ramos, a 19-year-old from Venezuela, threw 37.1 innings, allowing a 2.41 ERA, striking out 42 batters, batters hit .248 off him.

A pair of National League East division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, kick off the 2026 MLB postseason with an afternoon opener at Truist Park.

The Philliesjust squeaked into the playoffs thanks to Zack Wheeler's gem in their regular-season finale, taking the final NL wild card spot over the hard-charging Arizona Diamondbacks. But their faltering finish means nothing now that everyone starts from scratch.

Meanwhile, the Braves cruised into the postseason, winning the NL East by six games over the Phils. They were able to set their playoff rotation so that ace Chris Sale (14-9, 2.16 ERA) will be on the mound for Game 1 of the best-of-three series. He'll be opposed by left-hander Jesus Luzardo (14-5, 2.86 ERA), who was Philadelphia's best pitcher during the second half of the season, but who just returned from the injured list on Sunday after dealing with shoulder inflammation.

Follow along for live updates, highlights and analysis from the Phillies-Braves NL wild-card matchup: