Today could be the day that the Phillies clinch a spot in the NL Championship, but they first have to take care of Atlanta today at Citizens Bank Park.
Friday's 9-1 thrashing gave the Phillies a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-five NL Division Series. Phillies skipper Rob Thomson isn't concerned about his club looking too far ahead.
"They've been grinding for a long time now," Thomson said. "We've had a lot of ups and downs. And they get it that yesterday's gone and today's a new day. And we got a new pitcher out there who is really good, and we've got to focus on that. Gotta stay humble because the game will humble you. And we're going to go out there and grind today."
Noah Syndergaard will start for the Phillies, but he'll be limited to about three or four innings. From there, Thomson believes his bullpen is rested enough to take care of business. Everyone, except for Aaron Nola who pitched yesterday, is available.
"We've been thinking about it I guess for a couple days really, knowing that this day was going to come, especially when we lost Game 2, we knew this day was going to come," Thomson said.
"We've been thinking about it for a couple of days and planning it. The sixth inning yesterday was really important for us because we didn't have to use -- because in the 5-1 game, normal, during the season, probably wouldn't use [Seranthony] Dominguez or [Zach] Eflin in that game unless they needed to pitch. But yesterday, in a playoff game, they would have pitched.
So getting those three runs was crucial for us for today and tomorrow. I think we've got a lot more innings in us at the end of the game today than we would have yesterday. And they'll still be available tomorrow if there's a Game 4."
Thomson is leaning toward Zach Wheeler being his starter in a potential Game 5, but if needed Wheeler may pitch today, leaving Ranger Suarez as the Game 5 starter.
"We're still talking through it a little bit," Thomson said. "But as far as I know I think he's okay for an inning today. Now, having said that, I wouldn't force that. You know what I mean? You've got to be careful."
The Braves will have Charlie Morton on the mound as the Braves face elimination. He's pitched in five career elimination games, making four starts while posting a 5-0 mark with a 0.73 ERA.
Harper is Hot
Bryce Harper is hitting .444 over five postseason games this year in 22 plate appearances. He's also continues to put up solid numbers against the Braves, hitting .340 with 11 RBIs.
Braves are Cold
The Braves are hitting just .196 (19-for-97) this series with eight extra-base hits. Ronald Acuna, Matt Olson, and Travis d'Arnaud have accounted for 13 of those 19 hits.
Phillies Lineup
Schwarber 7
Hoskins 3
Realmuto 2
Harper DH
Castellanos 9
Bohm 5
Stott 6
Segura 4
Marsh 8
Syndergaard RHP
