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With the series tied at 1-1, the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies will travel to Philadelphia Wednesday night for Game 3 of the National League Division Series. First pitch is set for 5:07 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park.
Get ready. It's going to be another electric night in Philly. #Postseason pic.twitter.com/JY2eERnF3T
— MLB (@MLB) October 11, 2023
Series Recap
On Saturday, the Phillies shut out Atlanta in Game 1. An impressive performance from Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider was not enough to propel Atlanta to victory.
Phillies starter Ranger Suarez and the bullpen were nearly perfect, shutting out the Braves at home for the first time since Aug. 28, 2021.
Bryce Harper shined, going 2-2 with one home run, one RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base.
The @Phillies' Game 1 success continues with an #NLDS W!
They’ve now won 14 of their last 15 Game 1s since 2008. pic.twitter.com/cM4BdMQXtt
— MLB (@MLB) October 8, 2023
After being held scoreless in Game 1, the Braves rallied to beat Philadelphia 5-4 in Game 2. Through five innings, it looked as though the Phillies were going to be heading back to Philadelphia with a 2-0 lead.
They lead 4-0 going into the sixth inning thanks to an Alec Bohm RBI, a J.T. Realmuto two-run homerun and a Bryson Stott sacrifice fly to score Nick Castellanos.
Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler ended the day with three earned runs through 6.1 innings pitched.
In the bottom of the sixth, Ozzie Albies scored Ronald Acuna Jr. to give the Braves their first run of the series. A pair of two-run home runs from Travis d’Arnaud and Austin Riley in the seventh and eighth innings, respectively, gave Atlanta the 5-4 lead.
https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1711551721749532796
An exceptional Braves comeback finished with an exceptional double-play finish.
With two outs in the top of ninth, Castellanos smoked a line drive into center field with Harper on first base. Crashing into the wall to make the catch, Braves center fielder Michael Harris II launched the ball to the infield. Then, Riley snatched it, threw to first basemen Matt Olson and recorded the final out as the ball beat Harper to first base.
Game 3 Preview
Returning to Philadelphia, the Phillies have home field advantage for Game 3.
The Phillies have been stellar at home in the regular season with a 49-32 home record. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, the Braves have been dominant on the road. The Braves’ road record was 52-29 in the regular season. Also, the Braves lead their regular season series with the Phillies 8-5. Atlanta recorded five of the eight wins at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is sending Aaron Nola to the mound as starting pitcher for Game 3. Nola is 1-0 in the 2023 postseason and 12-9 in the 2023 regular season. In just over 193 innings pitched this regular season, Nola recorded 202 strikeouts and a 4.46 ERA.
Bryce Elder is the starting pitcher for the Braves in his first career postseason start. In the 2023 regular season, Elder struck out 123 batters through just over 174 innings. In addition, Elder’s record is 12-4 with an ERA of 3.81.
