He's not just petty. Consider how desperate Phil is to wrestle (pun intended) his rep away from the bad shit he does, and that he has no shame in blatantly making shit up ahead of time. Or taking shortcuts that anyone eith a brain would know aren't going to work.
Phil had more than just a schedule here, he had a script prepared. This was, and he thinks it still is, his chance for a bit of redemption. I hope he goes for it, not so AJ can smack him again, but for the way his bad acting and obvious lies are going to set him back even further.