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Don Mattingly explains decision that backfired in Phillies’ heartbreaking wild-card loss to Braves

Philadelphia manager Don Mattingly defended his tactical choice to deploy reliever Jhoan Duran for multiple frames in the seventh and eighth innings during Tuesday's playoff opener against Atlanta. The strategy initially worked in the seventh before unraveling in the eighth, when Duran surrendered a base hit to Michael Harris II, hit Ozzie Albies with a pitch, and subsequently conceded a decisive three-run shot to Austin Riley that secured a 5-3 victory for the hosts.

Mattingly noted after the contest that deploying his premier arm in that situation was the intended plan, even though the pitcher typically operates in the ninth frame. The setback adds to Philadelphia's ongoing bullpen struggles in late-game postseason scenarios dating back to previous autumn runs, handing the home team an early advantage in the series ahead of Wednesday's second matchup featuring starting pitchers Cristopher Sanchez and Tyler Mahle.

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