ATLANTA -- Jhoan Duran didn’t know the entire plan, either. He just knew the Phillies needed him. The Phils just don’t have many pitchers they trust right now. So, when they took a one-run lead in the seventh inning on Tuesday afternoon in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card

ATLANTA – With little time to fully process a back-and-forth thriller in Game 1, the Braves and Phillies have no choice but to quickly shift their focus to Game 2. That will take place on Wednesday afternoon at Truist Park, where Atlanta hopes to punch its ticket to the National

ATLANTA -- Braves manager Walt Weiss was skeptical when he heard Don Mattingly call Jesús Luzardo an “opener” for Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday afternoon at Truist Park. “Donnie is great, man,” Weiss said. “I think if he's pitching well, he'll keep going.”

With the Red Sox and Yankees set to battle in New York, one of baseball’s other great rivalries is on display in Atlanta.

PHILADELPHIA – The Phillies avoided one of the worst collapses in Major League Baseball history on Sunday afternoon, when they clinched the third NL Wild Card on the final day of the regular season with a 7-3 victory over the Rays.

ATLANTA – Luis Arraez celebrated the Phillies’ NL Wild Card-clinching victory on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park with a boot wrapped in plastic on his left foot.

ATLANTA -- Jesús Luzardo had a red Phillies hoodie and ski goggles draped over his head on Sunday evening.

ATLANTA – Luis Arraez celebrated the Phillies’ NL Wild Card-clinching victory on Sunday at Citizens Bank Park with a boot wrapped in plastic on his left foot. The boot protected his sprained left ankle, which he suffered Thursday. The plastic protected the boot from champagne and beer.

PHILADELPHIA -- Jesús Luzardo returned to the Phillies’ pitching staff in efficient fashion on Sunday afternoon.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies celebrated.

PHILADELPHIA -- One way or another, it ends on Sunday. The Phillies will either clinch an NL Wild Card and a fifth consecutive trip to the postseason following the 162nd game of the regular season, or they will suffer the second-worst collapse in franchise history, miss the playoffs entirely and

PHILADELPHIA -- Saturday night’s Phillies game against Tampa Bay should have been a tuneup for the postseason. Instead, it was about survival. Now, Sunday's is as well.

PHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Harper blooped a single into shallow right-center field in the sixth inning on Friday night. He reached first base, clapped, then turned toward his teammates in the dugout. He gestured to them. “Let’s go.”

PHILADELPHIA -- It sounds like Luis Arraez's sprained left ankle is as bad as it looked on Thursday night. Arraez got an MRI exam on Friday morning. Asked about the report, Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said on Friday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park, “Yeah, kind of not a great

PHILADELPHIA -- Bryce Harper emphasized the same point a few times on Thursday night. It was a simple response to questions about a situation the Phillies have made unnecessarily complicated in recent days.

PHILADELPHIA -- As poorly as the Phillies have played recently, they still control their destiny with three games to play in the regular season. But will they play those games without Luis Arraez?

PHILADELPHIA -- A crowd of Phillies players, coaches and staff watched Jesús Luzardo pitch in the bullpen on Thursday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.

This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies’ clubhouse staff on Wednesday hung rolled-up plastic sheeting above the lockers inside the home clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park. The Phils could have clinched an NL Wild Card berth a few hours later, if they beat the Brewers and if the Diamondbacks or Padres lost. But

PHILADELPHIA -- Zack Wheeler knew he needed three strikeouts on Tuesday night to reach 2,000 for his career. He wasted no time.

PHILADELPHIA -- The last time Brandon Marsh homered, it landed in a corn field in Dyersville, Iowa. That was 40 days and 80 at-bats ago.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies continue to say good things about Jesús Luzardo's recovery from left shoulder inflammation, but they stopped short of saying when he might throw off a mound again. Luzardo played catch on Monday and Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said before Tuesday

NEW YORK -- Jesús Luzardo played catch for 10 minutes in the Citi Field outfield on Sunday morning, and the experience made him smile afterward. “It’s a good day,” he said.

NEW YORK -- Twenty minutes after the final out of the Phillies’ 10-3 blowout loss to the Mets on Saturday night at Citi Field, Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly summoned Orion Kerkering to his office. A few minutes later, Kerkering emerged, visibly shaken. He looked at his phone, then dropped

NEW YORK -- Orion Kerkering sat in front of his locker inside a mostly empty visitors’ clubhouse late Friday night at Citi Field. He had started the sixth inning of a one-run game against the Mets, but five batters later, he surrendered a three-run home run to Juan Soto to