I'm quietly confident which is a rare state for me as a Phillies fan.
The Dodgers are a very good team, but the Phillies are too. I do, however, believe this is going the full 5 games.
I like that we have the home field and that Ohtani is the first pitcher we face. If we can knock him out, that could rattle their cage a bit and give us a boost.
The bizarre schedule helps both teams by allowing the Dodgers to get their pitching back on schedule and allowing us to stretch out our LH or go with a Nola/Buehler Game 3 tandem.
For Topper, I think there are 4 critical decisions he has to make:
Who is the #2 pitcher, Luzardo or Suarez? I think this also relates to their bullpen usage. Whoever pitches Game 2 may be available later in the series, but the one that does not pitch may stick in the pen the entire series and could help in Game 1 too. I trust Suarez more than Luzardo as a starter AND a reliever so I do not think this is an easy decision for Topper.
The other option is to go with Nola who normally pitches better at home than away and backfill with one of the above guys. Or vice versa if Topper wants Nola on a shorter stint to provide a different look to the Dodgers.
Is Game 3 a tandem game? And, if so, who pitches? Is it Nola to start and then Buehler or Walker as the second part? Is it Buehler first? I do not see a world where Walker starts, but I could see him from the pen if the situation warrants that.
If the tandem game is Game 2, then you can come back with whoever did not pitch the first or second part of that contest. I'd say Luzardo is more likely in this role. Sanchez is a power guy, Suarez is the off-speed wizard and Luzardo is a combo of the two.
Who does he trust in the pen? I've heard reports he wants to restrict innings to a big 5 - Strahm, Kerkering, Robertson, Banks and Duran - when you are not using the extra starters to fill gaps or pitch in specific situations where they should do well. I do not think Trivino or any other reliever will see action unless it is a blowout either way.
Who bats 4th and 5th? Lineup construction does not matter until it unfortunately does. Topper is going to leadoff Turner and we will see Schwarber & Harper next in line. 4th and 5th become very interesting choices. Topper said on WIP the other day that it would be a RH bat in 4th, but which one?
Bohm, Bader or Realmuto would seem to be the likely options. However, Topper also said he wants Bader further down the lineup to help turn it back over to Turner, Schwarber and Harper. Therefore, I see Bader hitting 8th or 9th. Bohm and Realmuto have both had off years; Bohm due to injury and JT due to natural age decline. I'd go with Bohm in the 4 spot. 5th is also interesting. I'd likely go Realmuto 7th, Stott 8th and Bader 9th. That leaves Kepler, Marsh and Casty for 5th and 6th based on the pitching matchup.
