The Phillies could clinch a World Series berth with a win Sunday in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park.
The club is carrying a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Padres and turns to ace Zack Wheeler to close things out.
Wheeler has been outstanding this postseason, posting a 1.40 ERA over three starts. He's also collected 17 strikeouts over 19 innings and is carrying a 0.52 WHIP.
The Padres will rely on their ace Yu Darvish to keep their season alive. The crafty veteran pitched well against the Phillies in Game 1, his lone mistakes accounting for a pair of homers in a 2-0 loss.
The Phillies are going to do everything possible to avoid a flight to San Diego for a Game 6. The Padres need to win three-straight just to keep their season alive.
"Anything can happen," Juan Soto said following Game 4. "They have to win another game. We aren’t going to give them that win easy. We’re going to go out there and play our best, see what happens.”
Harper Stays Hot
This postseason, Bryce Harper is hitting .410 (16-for-39) with six doubles, four homers, nine RBI, and a 1.311 OPS in ten games. Harper’s nine-game hitting streak matches Jayson Werth’s nine-game hit streak from 2008 for the second-longest single-postseason hitting streak in Phillies history; Lenny Dykstra has the longest single-postseason hitting streak in Phils' history, a 10-game hit streak in 1993.
The Odds Are Good
According to Elias, teams that have gone up 3-1 in a best-of-seven NLCS have gone on to win that series 16-of-20 times (80 percent).
Weather Update
Rain is in the forecast and there is the potential for a late start. Neither manager is interested in burning their starter if there's a possibility for a lengthy delay, so it's something to keep an eye on.
Starting Lineup
Schwarber 7
Hoskins 3
Realmuto 2
Harper DH
Castellanos 9
Bohm 5
Stott 6
Segura 4
Marsh 8
Wheeler RHP
