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Mattingly's Early Move to Duran Backfires in Phillies Loss
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In Short: Interim manager Don Mattingly's decision to use closer Jhoan Duran early in the game backfired, leading to the Philadelphia Phillies' 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves in a best-of-three National League Wild Card Series opener.
Mattingly turned to Duran in the seventh inning, hoping the All-Star closer could cover the final three innings and protect a 3-2 lead.
However, Duran's performance faltered in the eighth inning when he gave up a three-run homer to Austin Riley, handing the Braves the lead.
Duran, who had only allowed two home runs in 61 regular-season games, faced questions about why Mattingly turned to him so early and whether the manager was asking too much.
Duran explained to reporters, 'I threw the first inning and I go back to the dugout and they said be ready for another inning, and so I go back out there and try to do my work.
Mattingly defended his decision, saying, 'Anytime you lose a game late, obviously it's frustrating, but in our minds, we had our best guy out there.
When asked if he turned to Duran in the seventh because the Braves had the top of their lineup coming up, Mattingly said it wasn't a matchup decision.
Duran's perfect seventh inning only emboldened Mattingly's plan to stick with the closer in the eighth, but Duran gave up a two-out single to Michael Harris II before hitting Ozzie Albies with a pitch and allowing Riley's shot that put Atlanta in the lead.
What's still developing
- Mattingly’s early move to Duran, ‘our best guy,’ backfires in loss | ESPN La Crosse 105.5 You are using an outdated browser.
- ATLANTA -- Interim manager Don Mattingly wanted the Philadelphia Phillies ' best reliever on the mound as early as possible in a tight opening game of a best-of-three National League Wild Card Series against the Atlanta Braves.
- Mattingly might have hoped the 28-year-old Duran could pitch three innings to protect a 3-2 lead, even though he made just one multi-inning appearance in the regular season.