EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPHILADELPHIA -- With their attempt at clinching a National League wild card teetering on an epic collapse, the Philadelphia Phillies will start Aaron Nola on Saturday against Tampa Bay on two days' rest.Nola (7-11, 4.54 ERA) struck out eight over six innings in his last start Wednesday and took the loss as Philadelphia fell to Milwaukee 4-1.The Phillies lost the next two games headed before Saturday's game and saw their NL wild-card lead over Arizona whittled to one game. Arizona plays Saturday night against San Diego.The Phillies are 9-13 in September. Their magic number remained at two heading into Saturday.The Padres and Chicago Cubs have clinched wild-card spots.Should the race come down to Sunday, the Phillies will most likely start ace Zack Wheeler, a decision that would leave them without Wheeler for potential Game 1 or 2 starts in the NL Wild Card Series.Mattingly said the Phillies only briefly flirted with the idea of bumping up Wheeler a day.Nola skipped his usual bullpen session Friday so he could take the mound against the American League East champion Rays. Mattingly said the right-hander throws 40-to-50-pitch bullpen sessions between starts and might not go much longer than that Saturday."If anybody's built for this," Mattingly said, "it's probably Nola. He's a guy that's probably more old-school than anybody."The Phillies are in a bind with All-Star lefty Jess Luzardo still on the injured list because of left shoulder inflammation. Luzardo can be activated Sunday and would be available to pitch if the Phillies need him.Philadelphia was shut out for the 12th time this season in Friday's 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay and has scored two runs over the past 27 innings. The Phillies have homered only once in their past 55 innings.Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto entered in an 0-for-32 funk that has dipped his average to .206.NL batting leader and starting second baseman Luis Arraez is out indefinitely because of a severely sprained left ankle. His absence sparked some lineup shuffling during the past two games, with Bryce Harper back at first base and Bryan De La Cruz starting in right field. Bryson Stott was again at second base.The Phillies could have clinched a wild card as early as Wednesday. They started Saturday -- where heavy rain delayed the start of the game -- suddenly in the conversation on the Philly sports scene as a team potentially poised to join the short list of epic collapses in franchise history."I just think there's pressure all the time," Mattingly said ahead of the game. "I've always felt if you put pressure on yourself all the time to perform and hold yourself to a standard, this game is really no different than any other game. Obviously, we know there's a lot at stake. That's the beauty of kind of playing at a level all the time."
