PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies know they have their best chance to win when Aaron Nola is on the mound at Citizens Bank Park, and they've reshuffled their rotation to maximize how many times that will happen in September.
Why?
"Mostly because Nola is awesome," manager Gabe Kapler said before Wednesday night's series finale against the Nationals. "... Nola has been tremendous and we wanted him starting sooner than later."
After allowing one earned run over seven innings in a no-decision against the Nats on Tuesday night, Nola was originally slated to make his next start on Monday afternoon in Miami. But the right-hander, who has a 1.94 ERA in 13 games at home compared to a 2.25 ERA in 14 road starts, will get the ball for Sunday's series finale against the Cubs. Tuesday night's ninth-inning collapse was the first time the Phillies lost a home start of Nola's all season.
So, with an off-day on Thursday and the Cubs employing ace Jonathan Lester on Sunday, the Phillies moved Nola up one day. Nick Pivetta will still start on Friday as scheduled. Zach Eflin will start on Saturday, and Vince Velasquez will move back to Monday.
The decision, Kapler detailed, will benefit the Phils beyond this weekend. If the rotation stays on turn, Nola will start more games at home than he would've without the change. He'll be in line to start Game 160, the opening matchup of the final regular-season series against the Braves in Philadelphia, and Nola would be available for a 163rd game if the need arises for the Phillies.
Before, Nola was scheduled for the final game of the regular season. Not only would that have risked the chance of rain potentially wiping out his final start, but Nola likely would've been forced to rest during a potential National League Wild Card Game.
"Everything matters," Kapler said. "So I'm not saying that [a Wild Card Game] wasn't a consideration. It was a consideration."
Bautista excited to be with Phils
Jose Bautista arrived to cheers when he made his Phillies debut on Tuesday night. Three pitches and a strikeout later, those cheers turned to boos after he went down swinging in his only at-bat of the game.
"I would have loved to have done something different with it," Bautista said in his first comments since being acquired from the Mets on Tuesday. "That's the only thing that I'm concerned about. The fans want to win and we're no different."
Bautista was in the starting lineup on Wednesday night -- mainly because left-hander Giovany Gonzalez started for the Nats -- but situations like Tuesday's pinch-hit at-bat could be how the Phillies most often use their latest acquisition; the first role Kapler mentioned for Bautista after the deal was finalized was a "right-handed bat off the bench."
Both have yet to discuss playing-time arrangements. Bautista didn't seem worried that he might be in line for less at-bats than he has been used to in his 15-year career.
"The future has yet to happen," Bautista said. "This is a great team and I'll be part of it any way that they'll have me. I'm just going to try to get us closer to a win every single day. Whether that's running the bases, playing defense, getting hit by a pitch, making a play on defense, having a good at-bat -- whatever it takes."
Bautista slashed .204/.351/.367 in 302 plate appearances with the Mets. This came after a month-long stint with the Braves between April and May. In coming to Philadelphia, he joined Bob Reynolds (1975 Tigers, Indians, Orioles) and Kelly Johnson (2014 Red Sox, Yankees, Orioles) as the only players to play for three teams in the same division in the same year.
With that, Bautista boasts a perspective formed in three clubhouses in the NL East.
"It's just a matter of who plays the best from here on out," Bautista said. "I know that seems pretty obvious, but it means everything from here to the end of the season. When you have seven head-to-head meetings with the guys in front of you, those are exciting, to say the least. But this team has everything that you need to get to the playoffs, and hopefully deep into the playoffs and to the World Series."