Moments later, the groans turned into disbelief. Rob Thomson strode to the mound after two crisp innings from Aaron Nola, pulling him while he looked completely in control. Across the Delaware Valley, televisions echoed with the same refrain: “What is he doing?”
But Thomson had a plan — a scripted hand-off to Ranger Suárez, designed to give the left-hander a clean inning and flip the Dodgers’ lineup. And when Suárez’s first pitch of the night wound up in the left-center seats off Tommy Edman, the second-guessers had a field day.
Then Suárez did what he always seems to do in October: settle everything down.
Game 3 marked his 11th career postseason appearance. He has allowed one earned run or fewer in ten of those 11, owning a 1.48 ERA in the postseason. Calm, quiet, efficient — the same rhythm that’s carried him through every big October inning he’s thrown.
The plan was simple: Nola and Suárez for seven, then close with a multi-inning burst from the back end. But a five-run avalanche in the eighth against Clayton Kershaw changed everything.
That five-run eruption off the future Hall of Famer was more than just a momentum boost — it also allowed closer José Alvarado to take a seat in the bullpen, leaving him fresh and available for an extended outing in Thursday’s Game 4. That’s a big positive for the Phillies. It shortens the bridge between Cristopher Sánchez, who’ll get the start, and a potential victory.
And how about that offense? Twenty-four hours earlier, the top three hitters in the lineup were a combined 2-for-21 in the series. On Wednesday, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper went 7-for-13 with five RBIs and four runs scored.
They still left more than their fair share of runners on base, finishing 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. But it didn’t matter — the tone was set early, and for the first time all series, the Dodgers were the team chasing noise.
No one will admit it, but the pressure has quietly tilted to the Dodgers. Sure, the Phillies remain in must-win mode, but Los Angeles has no interest in letting this series stretch to a winner-take-all Game 5 back in Philadelphia. The Phillies haven’t exactly been dominant at home lately in October, yet that scenario — a cross-country flight into a charged-up Citizens Bank Park with everything on the line — is a nightmare the Dodgers would rather not live.
“It’s going to be exciting,” Schwarber said. “They have another really good starter going tomorrow. You never know what you’ll see in a postseason baseball game, but you just have to make sure you go out there, play great defense, take great at-bats, get 27 outs, and go from there.”
Everything worked. Thomson’s plan. Schwarber’s thunder. Suárez’s calm.
And for one night, the Phillies looked again like the club that still believes it can make October bend to its will.
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