It may not seem like much at first glance, but make no mistake the rainout of Game 3 of the World Series provided a slight edge for the Phillies. Thanks to the Fall Classic being extended one day, the National League champions will be able to use three starting pitchers rather than four as originally planned.
That enables Phillies manager Rob Thomson to use his top pair, Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler, twice each should the Series go at least six games. That is the best possible pitching scenario for the Phillies, whose potential fourth starter Noah Syndergaard hasn’t thrown more than three innings or 35 pitches in more than a month.
The fact that a travel day between Games 5 and 6 has been kept intact, extending a potential seven-game series through Sunday, is as much a part of the Phillies’ revamped strategy as the postponement itself. The Astros, of course, get the same benefit, but with a deeper rotation, manager Dusty Baker has more options and has opted to stick with his four designated starters, with Lance McCullers Jr. and Cristian Javier working Games 3 and 4.
The postponement enabled Thomson to move Ranger Suárez, who worked two-thirds of an inning in the first game, up to the third spot in his rotation, at least temporarily bumping Syndergaard from the picture. Aaron Nola, the Game 1 starter, gets the fourth game on regular rest, but Thomson has indicated he’d give Zack Wheeler an extra day’s rest before a potential Game 6.
Javier is the wild card for the Astros in this scenario, providing the luxury of a fourth power arm for Game 4. That gives Justin Verlander an extra day’s rest before Game 5.
Given the expected Cy Young Award winner’s poor numbers in World Series play (not to mention his own postseason demons), that seems to be the most viable option for Baker, who is looking for a World Series ring to highlight an otherwise brilliant managerial career.
Should the Series go the limit of seven games, McCullers would be positioned to start the deciding game, just as he did in Game 7 of the Astros’ win against the Dodgers — and did in clinching victories this year in both the ALDS against the Mariners and ALCS against the Yankees. A possible red flag is the fact that McCullers, who missed postseason play the last two years, made only eight regular-season starts in 2022.
The Phillies get a slight edge because of the postponement, but the Astros still have the advantage in a winner-take-all best-of-five series that takes on more the look of a tossup with each passing day — or postponement.
Jim Henneman can be reached at JimH@pressboxonline.com
Photo Credit: Colin Murphy/PressBox