Zack Wheeler to start on Friday; Phillies still determining rest of rotation for Miami series

PHILADELPHIA — After a doubleheader on Thursday that forced the Phillies to alter their pitching plans, interim manager Don Mattingly announced the club’s starter for the opener of its next series in Miami.

Right-hander Zack Wheeler will make his second start of the season against the Marlins on Friday night at loanDepot park. Rookie Andrew Painter was originally lined up to pitch Thursday, but the Phillies changed their approach after Wednesday night’s game versus the San Francisco Giants was postponed. He now won’t start Friday either.

Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, who was supposed to pitch Wednesday, started Game 1 of the twin bill; the Phillies used a bullpen game for Game 2, as they swept the doubleheader with two walk-off wins.

Mattingly said the Phillies wanted to avoid using Sánchez and Painter on the same day, since it would have left the team without a big-league starter available on regular rest on Monday. Instead of calling up a spot starter or doing a bullpen game then, the Phillies chose to get the bullpen game out of the way with an extra arm on the roster for the doubleheader in Nolan Hoffman.

Despite pushing back Painter, the Phillies want to keep Wheeler in his spot in the rotation. He’ll be pitching on five days’ rest after starting in Atlanta this past Saturday. He allowed two runs in five innings in his return from thoracic outlet decompression surgery.

Mattingly said the team was still discussing who to start on the mound for the second of the four-game series with the Marlins, but the Phillies will have a decision made soon.