Mattingly's call to Duran in 7th backfires in Phillies' loss - ESPN

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.

Turning to All-Star closer Jhoan Duran in the seventh inning made it appear Mattingly was hoping his best reliever could cover the final three innings and protect a beleaguered bullpen.

After Duran gave up a three-run homer to Austin Riley in the eighth inning of the Phillies' 5-3 loss to the Braves on Tuesday, Mattingly and Duran faced questions about why the manager turned to his closer so early in the game and if he was asking too much from Duran.

«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,» Duran told reporters.

Duran's perfect seventh inning only emboldened Mattingly's plan to stick with the closer in the eighth. Mattingly may 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.

«He made it look easy the first inning,» Mattingly said of Duran. «If the second one would have went really quick, I would have just checked with him. If not, we would have went to somebody else.»

Unfortunately for Duran and the Phillies, Duran's second inning — the eighth — was not quick or successful. Duran gave up a two-out single to Michael Harris II before hitting Ozzie Albies with a pitch and then giving up Austin Riley's three-run homer that gave Atlanta the lead.

«Anytime you lose a game late, obviously it's frustrating, but in our minds we had our best guy out there,» Mattingly said of Duran. «You live with