Don Mattingly didn’t hold back after the Phillies fell 5-2 to the Braves, admitting every remaining game now carries playoff-level stakes.
Don Mattingly didn’t sugarcoat where things stand for the Phillies after Friday’s 5-2 loss to the Braves, and his message afterward was as blunt as it gets. Atlanta got the better of Cristopher Sanchez and Chris Sale’s marquee pitching matchup at Citizens Bank Park, extending its NL East lead to five games with just 21 to play.
Sale worked six innings and allowed two runs on the way to lowering his ERA to 2.10, while Sanchez surrendered three runs over six innings, remaining stuck at 16 wins despite entering the night as baseball’s leader in pitcher WAR. Mauricio Dubon’s two-run homer off Orion Kerkering in the eighth put the game away, and Raisel Iglesias closed it out for his 30th save.
Alec Bohm was one of the few bright spots for Philadelphia, driving in both of the team’s runs with a home run and a double.
It was the first meeting between the two teams since April 26, when the Phillies sat at 9-19 and fired Rob Thomson the following day. Philadelphia has gone 70-43 under Mattingly since taking over, climbing back into playoff position, but Friday’s loss was a reminder of how much ground still separates them from Atlanta atop the division.
Asked how much pressure the loss adds to the rest of the season series against the Braves, Mattingly didn’t try to spin it.
“I think every one of them is pressure now,” Mattingly told reporters after the game. “We’re not in the playoffs. We’re not guaranteed anything. So every game’s pressure at this point, pretty much the rest of the way.”
“We’re not guaranteed anything.”
Don Mattingly says there’s pressure on every game moving forward. pic.twitter.com/5YD7SOlHiz
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) September 5, 2026
The 65-year-old interim manager added that the mindset has to stay the same no matter who’s on the other side of the diamond. “It’s not a matter of who you’re playing,” he said. “You need to win a game.”
The Phillies and Braves still have three more meetings in this series before six additional head-to-head matchups later in September, leaving plenty of chances for Philadelphia to close the gap.
The head-to-head results could ultimately decide whether Philadelphia secures a first-round bye or settles for a shorter route through the postseason. But with the calendar working against them, Mattingly made clear there’s no more room for off nights.
Don Mattingly didn’t sugarcoat where things stand for the Phillies after Friday’s 5-2 loss to the Braves, and his message afterward was as blunt as it gets. Atlanta got the better of Cristopher Sanchez and Chris Sale’s marquee pitching matchup at Citizens Bank Park, extending its NL East lead to five games with just 21 to play.