Tim Mayza to Start Game 2 as Phillies Shift to Bullpen Game
Tim Mayza will make his first career start Thursday evening when the Phillies open Game 2 of their doubleheader with a bullpen game. The left-hander, who has worked 396 big-league appearances across nine seasons, gets the ball after the rainout on Wednesday changed Philadelphia’s pitching plan.
Mayza Gets the Ball
Mayza has finished 68 games in his career, but this will be his first time starting. The Phillies will use him to begin the second game after Cristopher Sánchez covered 6 2/3 innings and allowed two runs in the opener against the Giants on Thursday afternoon.
Game 1 ended 3-2 on a walk-off, giving Philadelphia a split-day reset before the nightcap. Andrew Painter had been lined up to start Thursday, but the Phillies pushed him back and chose to manage the doubleheader with relief arms instead.
Phillies' Rotation Shift
The move fits the club’s larger plan for the week. With a four-game series against the Marlins set to begin Friday, Philadelphia would have needed either a spot starter or a bullpen game on Monday in Miami if both starters had gone on Thursday, so the team chose the route that avoids stacking more work on the same arms.
Don Mattingly said after the opener, “He usually does, right? Get us in somewhere into the game where we’re not just blowing up our ‘pen. … Our ‘pen was in a really good spot, and we felt like this was the best way to to go about it.” He also said, “We feel good,” and added, “We’re in a pretty good spot. Obviously, we play two games, and we’re not just going to throw guys out there multiple games if they throw a ton of pitches.”
Doubleheader Bullpen Plan
The bullpen picture changed between games when Kyle Backhus was placed on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation and Trevor Richards had his contract selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Philadelphia could also call up Nolan Hoffman as the 27th man for the doubleheader, giving the club another arm to work through the second game.
Mayza now sits at the center of a day built around innings management as much as scoring. If he handles the opening stretch cleanly, the Phillies can keep their relief group intact for the rest of Thursday and into the Marlins series that starts Friday.
