Braves’ pitching plans shape Wild Card opener against Phillies

Atlanta is scheduled to open its best-of-three National League Wild Card series against Philadelphia at Truist Park on Tuesday, with Chris Sale named as the Braves’ Game 1 starter. The matchup puts the focus on how the Phillies will manage their pitching after using Zack Wheeler for much of Sunday’s season finale, according to CBS Sports.

CBS Sports reports that Jesús Luzardo may open for Philadelphia, with rookie Andrew Painter likely to take most of the innings. The plan remains uncertain, and the source does not confirm either pitcher’s workload.

The preview says Sale finished the regular season 14–9 with a 2.16 ERA and went 3–0 with a 2.08 ERA in four starts against Philadelphia. Those figures are reported by CBS Sports and have not been independently verified in the available material.

The teams also bring recent postseason history into the series: CBS Sports says Philadelphia beat Atlanta in the 2022 and 2023 National League Division Series. It reports that Atlanta won the regular-season series 9–4.

CBS Sports also says Philadelphia infielder Luis Arraez, who sprained his left ankle on Thursday, is not on the Wild Card roster. The source’s betting projections are pregame analysis; no result for Game 1 is provided.