It wasn't until the final day of the regular season that the Philadelphia Phillies clinched their spot in the 2026 MLB postseason, doing so by virtue of earning a 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Arizona Diamondbacks were hot on their tail, but the Phillies still held their own fate — with Zack Wheeler throwing six innings of one-run ball to help Philly set the tone in a game where they scored all seven of their runs by the fifth inning.

With the Phillies not having any leeway in the NL Wild Card race, they had to lock in until Game 162. This has now complicated matters for them heading into the Wild Card round, as Game 1 of their first-round postseason series against the Atlanta Braves will be on Tuesday — making their pitching dilemma all the more pronounced.

Wheeler may not be available until Game 3 at the earliest, while their ace in Christopher Sanchez pitched on Friday in a 2-0 loss to the Rays — giving him just three days of rest if he were to start in Game 1. Thus, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies are debating on which combination to roll with to open their series vs. the Braves — with Jesus Luzardo and Andrew Painter being among the candidates to start.

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Luzardo did make an appearance on Sunday off the bullpen, pitching in the eighth inning of their postseason-clinching victory over the Rays. He threw just four pitches to get three outs, but it's not quite clear how much he has in the tank considering that he only recently came back from a shoulder injury.

Painter, on the other hand, last pitched on September 24, so he should be fresh for Game 1 against the Braves. The Phillies will have all hands on deck, however, if Painter were to start. The 23-year-old struggled in 2026, recording an ERA of 5.40 in 25 games (23 starts) spanning 126.2 innings of work.