They can’t erase the two losses. They can’t quiet the murmurs about windows closing or eras ending.
What the Phillies can do Wednesday night is win one baseball game — and if they do, the test that follows won’t feel nearly as impossible.
Rob Thomson doesn’t need to tell his club what’s at stake. “I’ve heard a couple of them talk about it,” he said before Game 3. “You’ve got to win one game. This is the most important game right here. You’ve got to take them one at a time. Trust yourself, trust your teammates, and stay relaxed.”
That calm, trademark Thomson tone is what’s kept this room from cracking. He learned it under Joe Torre years ago. “The players appreciate that you’re not flying off the handle every inning,” he said. “It keeps them relaxed.”
That composure will be tested against the Dodgers’ ace, Yoshinobu Yamamoto — the same right-hander who in April at Citizens Bank Park tossed six scoreless innings (allowing one unearned run via his own throwing error) against Philadelphia. Turner doubled, stole third, and scored after Yamamoto’s misplay.
Lefties have produced very weak numbers against him this season (around .174/.236/.249 in his splits vs. left-handed batters). It’s the wrong kind of matchup for a lineup built around Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, both searching for rhythm and plate discipline.
So tonight it’s Aaron Nola. Again.
The Phillies’ most debated arm gets the ball opposite a pitcher with six weapons. Nola’s leash? Shorter than ever.
“I mean, like anyone, pretty close at this stage of the game,” Thomson said. “But we’ve got a plan together, and Noles knows it. We’ll be ready to go.”
Expect an early lefty warming in the pen — say Ranger Suárez or Tanner Banks — by the time Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman bat a second time. Thomson would prefer to clean up an inning before turning to the pen but declined to rule out a mid-inning switch if needed.
They don’t need dominance; they need survival. A couple of steady innings, something to buy some life for the hitters.
“I mean, like anyone, pretty close at this stage of the game,” Thomson said. “But we’ve got a plan together, and Noles knows it. We’ll be ready to go.”
Expect an early lefty warming in the pen — say Ranger Suárez or Tanner Banks — by the time Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman bat a second time. Thomson would prefer to clean up an inning before turning to the pen but declined to rule out a mid-inning switch if needed.
They don’t need dominance; they need survival. A couple of steady innings, something to buy some life for the hitters.
They could use an early run — anything to puncture the tension creeping into Citizens Bank Park. Harper has shown signs of expanding too far off the plate in this series — Phillies Nation notes he chased several well-placed pitches down and away.
Schwarber has been stuck in a brutal stretch: 0-for-21 with 13 strikeouts.
The formula isn’t complicated: patience, traffic, one timely swing. 3-2 counts the same as 13-2.
J.T. Realmuto remains the one hitter consistently working counts. Meanwhile Trea Turner’s steady adjustments continue to show dividends. “This is a game of adjustments,” Thomson said. “Sometimes it’s tougher for a veteran to believe he can improve, but Trea’s taken it in. He’s gotten a lot better.”
Turner echoed that optimism. “I think we’re excited about the opportunity,” he said. “We’ve got another game today — put the last two behind us and try to get back on the right track. We know we’re in a hole. We know the situation. But we’re excited for it. We’re ready for it. We’re ready to compete and have some fun.”
If they can somehow solve Yamamoto tonight, Thursday’s test — likely Tyler Glasnow — is less daunting. The Phillies have reached base in many of their plate appearances vs. Glasnow this year, showing a knack for grinding at-bats. And Cristopher Sánchez could be ready for a Game 4 start on regular rest.
Inside the clubhouse, the message is simple: don’t think about elimination, think about execution.
Fourteen times this season, the Phillies have strung together win streaks of at least three games. None carried this degree of difficulty — but that’s October: a month that tests nerve as much as talent.
Rob Thomson will remain even-keeled, his players will attempt to match him, and somewhere between first pitch and the echo of the final out, they’ll try to extend their season one more night.
Just one game.
That’s all that matters now.
Dodgers Starting Lineup
Shohei Ohtani, DHMookie Betts, SS
Teoscar Hernández, RF
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Will Smith, C
Kiké Hernández, LF
Max Muncy, 3B
Andy Pages, CF
Tommy Edman, 2B
Phillies Starting Lineup
Trea Turner, SS
Kyle Schwarber, DH
Bryce Harper, 1B
Alec Bohm, 3B
Brandon Marsh, CF
J.T. Realmuto, C
Max Kepler, LF
Nick Castellanos, RF
Bryson Stott, 2B
Kyle Schwarber, DH
Bryce Harper, 1B
Alec Bohm, 3B
Brandon Marsh, CF
J.T. Realmuto, C
Max Kepler, LF
Nick Castellanos, RF
Bryson Stott, 2B
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