The Phillies turn to Aaron Nola Wednesday in a pivotal Game 3 of the National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park.
The Braves mounted a late-game comeback in Game 2, spoiling an outstanding outing by Zack Wheeler en route to a 5-4 victory. Wheeler didn't surrender a hit until he had two outs in the sixth inning. Atlanta went on though to score five unanswered runs with an Austin Riley two-run blast the deciding factor.
The victory evened the series at 1-1 and could prove a momentum changer as the series shifts to Philly. The victory marked the only time this postseason that a team that was trailing by four runs or more came back to claim a victory.
"We're back in the Bank," said Brandon Marsh. "So we're pretty happy. Splitting the series in Atlanta, it was big to get one in Atlanta. So we know how good they play there. And the second one got away from us a little bit, but we're blessed with more opportunities here at home in front of the best crowd. So like I said, we're just really excited. The vibes are up."
Nola was outstanding in the Wild Card round against the Marlins, tossing seven scoreless frames while surrendering three hits. He's carrying a 1.59 ERA over three postseason starts at Citizens Bank Park.
"I think we have the best home field advantage in the league," Nola said. "I think our crowd is the rowdiest, and we love playing in front of that.
And I feel like it is tough sometimes for opposing teams to play in this stadium, but we like it a lot. We feed off of it, and the fans are in it from pitch number one until the very end, which is pretty special."
The Braves turn to right-hander Bryce Elder in Game 3 as he makes his postseason debut. The 24-year-old surrendered four runs over 10 2/3 innings this year in two previous starts against the Phillies. He went 12-4 overall on the season, posting a 3.81 ERA.
"He can really locate the baseball," said Phillies skipper Rob Thomson. "It is going to be a fastball, sinker, slider, change up to left-handers. He can pitch. He doesn't have the power of a [Spencer] Strider, but he can really pitch. He can do a lot of different things. He can hold runners. He can field his position well. He's a good pitcher."
Did You Know?
Through the first four games of the 2023 postseason, Phillies starting pitchers have combined to post a 1.14 ERA (3 ER, 23.2 IP) with 25 strikeouts to only three walks (8.33 SO/BB ratio) and a 0.63 WHIP (12 H).
Tonight's Lineup
Schwarber DH
Turner 6
Harper 3
Bohm 5
Stott 4
Realmuto 2
Castellanos 9
Marsh 7
Rojas 8
Nola RHP
