The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies are staring down the only Game 3 in the National League Wild Card Series, and that alone changes the temperature of this matchup.
Every other wild card round ended with a sweep. This one is still alive, which means Walt Weiss and Don Mattingly are left to work the margins and make the right call at the right moment with both seasons hanging in the balance.
Atlanta is trying to avoid another painful postseason exit at the hands of Philadelphia. The Phillies have sent the Braves home in the NLDS in both 2022 and 2023, and now the two clubs meet again with everything on the line.
The biggest wrinkle came from Weiss before the game, when he was asked about Chris Sale’s availability. Atlanta is set to start Ray Kerr, with Grant Holmes expected to cover most of the innings, but Weiss left the door open for Sale to factor in later.
“All hands on deck, you know. I don’t ever divulge who’s available, who’s not before a game. But yeah, it’s an elimination game, so we’ll see how these guys feel.”
That response suggests Sale could be used out of the bullpen despite working on just one day of rest.
Sale was excellent in Game 1, going 6 and a third innings and striking out nine. He was charged with three runs, though part of that damage was tied to the bullpen not stranding the runners he left behind.
The matchup also tilts toward Atlanta because of how Sale has handled the Phillies in the past. Philadelphia made its push in Wednesday’s win by getting to Braves left-hander Dylan Lee, but if Sale is available in Game 3, the path looks different now.
For the Phillies, that means the urgency is immediate. Getting into the Braves bullpen is difficult enough. Doing it with Sale potentially waiting to shut the door later in the game makes the assignment even tougher.
In Other News...
Braves Enter Do Or Die Game 3 With One Huge Pitching Problem
The Braves head into a must-win Game 3 against a division rival with the kind of pitching uncertainty teams try to avoid in October. Philadelphia is expected to counter with Zack Wheeler, which only sharpens the pressure on Atlanta to piece together a workable plan on the mound. Grant Holmes and Ray Kerr are expected to be central to that approach, but the larger issue is simpler and more unsettling: there is no obvious traditional starter waiting to take the ball.
Tyler Mahle gave Atlanta a strong outing in Game 2 and has been one of the brighter signs recently, but even that was not enough to change the result. The Braves lost anyway, undone by a quiet night for the lineups power and a bullpen that could not hold the edge. Now the series has reached the point where every pitching decision matters, and Atlanta still has to answer the biggest question of all before the first pitch is thrown. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Just Got A Real Opening In Winner-Take-All Game 3
The Phillies have handed Aaron Nola the ball for their winner-take-all Game 3 against the Braves, a choice that immediately changes the feel of this Wild Card finale. Atlanta now gets a different look than many expected, with Philadelphia going with the veteran right-hander instead of Zack Wheeler, whose strong season made him the more obvious option on paper.
For the Braves, the opening is in the matchup itself as much as the name on the lineup card. Nola has been uneven this season, but his history of success against Atlanta in past postseason moments gives the Phillies a reason to trust him, even if the move has sparked some second-guessing about leaving Wheeler out of the biggest start of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Waste A Start That Should Have Changed This Series
Tyler Mahles first postseason start gave the Braves exactly the kind of pitching backbone they needed in a tense Wild Card Game 2 against the Phillies. After a shaky beginning, he settled in and worked effectively through seven innings, keeping Philadelphia in check and striking out several key batters along the way. For a team trying to swing the series back in its favor, it was the sort of outing that should have set up a much different night.
Instead, Atlanta kept leaving chances on the table. The Braves had multiple opportunities to break through, including a bases-loaded situation in the sixth inning, but could not fully cash in when the game was there to be taken. With the pitching doing its part and the offense unable to finish the job, it became one of those postseason losses that felt bigger than the final score. [Read more 🡒]