LIVE: Phillies vs. D-backs NLCS Game 3 on TBS

October 19th, 2023

PHOENIX -- The atmosphere at Citizens Bank Park for the first two games of the National League Championship Series was just about everything you would have expected.

Most fans stood for the entirety of both contests. Decibel levels hit 111 after homers. The singing got louder every time Bryson Stott and his catchy walkup song came on.

With perhaps the best home-field advantage left in the postseason, the Phillies responded by smacking six homers and outscoring the D-backs, 15-3, to take a 2-0 lead in the NLCS. But now the setting is about to change.

The D-backs are eager to respond in a big way as the series shifts to Chase Field for Game 3 on Thursday. Arizona won its only home game this postseason, eliminating the Dodgers in the NL Division Series with a Game 3 win.

“We've got to play Diamondback baseball,” said D-backs manager Torey Lovullo after a 10-0 loss in Game 2. “What we watched out there was not anything that we have done for a long period of time. So we've got to regroup. We have to regroup the troops and find a way to get it done.”

The odds are stacked against them. Teams taking a 2-0 lead in all best-of-seven postseason series have gone on to win that series 75 of 89 times (84%). While 14 teams have rallied in these situations, only two have done so in the past 26 years: the 2020 Dodgers in the NLCS against the Braves and the 2004 Red Sox against the Yankees in the ALCS (down 3-0).

“You can't really draw it up any better than the last two games have gone for us,” said Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto. “We've pitched the ball really well. We've played phenomenal defense. There's been a ton of plays made in the infield and outfield that weren't easy plays, and we've turned them all into outs.

“With that being said, this series is a long ways from being over. That's a really good ball club over there that we've got to go into their stadium and play now.”

When is the game and how can I watch it?
Today's game is being televised in the U.S. on TBS.

All series are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games are available live internationally (except in Canada). Full game archives are available approximately 90 minutes after the game ends.

Who are the starting pitchers?

Phillies: LHP Ranger Suárez
Suárez is 1-0 with a 1.04 ERA in two starts this postseason. He is 3-0 with a 1.16 ERA and one save in seven postseason appearances (five starts). Suárez has quietly been one of the Phillies’ most important postseason performers the past two years.

D-backs: RHP Brandon Pfaadt
Pfaadt started Game 3 against the Dodgers in the NLDS and tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings before being pulled. Lovullo has said that, when it comes to the rookie right-hander, he wants him to face 18 batters plus or minus four in his starts, so don’t look for Pfaadt to go deep in this one.

What are the starting lineups?

Phillies: With the Phils’ offense teeing off at a historic pace, Thomson went with the same lineup for Game 3.

D-backs: Up to this point, Lovullo had gone with the same nine starters for the first seven postseason games. But for Game 3, he changed it up, giving Tommy Pham his first start in the outfield in the postseason, shifting Corbin Carroll to center, inserting Emmanuel Rivera at third and starting Evan Longoria at designated hitter. Alek Thomas, who had started every game this postseason, is not in the starting lineup after going 0-for-5 with one RBI in the first two games of the NLCS.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Phillies: Between Philadelphia cruising to a 10-0 win in Game 2 and Wednesday’s off-day ahead of Game 3, Thomson will have his full allotment of bullpen options at his disposal. Though he typically used either right-hander Craig Kimbrel or left-hander José Alvarado as his closer during the regular season, Thomson hasn’t hesitated this postseason to turn to his highest-leverage arms in key spots earlier in the game. The Phils have plenty of other options beyond that duo, including righties Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Domínguez and Orion Kerkering and lefties Matt Strahm and Gregory Soto.

D-backs: Arizona's high-leverage relievers have not thrown much in this series, so they should be fully ready to go. Lovullo will be aggressive in going to his bullpen in Games 3 and 4, more than he is when Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly start. Paul Sewald closes with Kevin Ginkel getting the eighth inning. Right-hander Ryan Thompson and lefty Andrew Saalfrank will see important matchups in the sixth and seventh.

Any injuries of note?
Phillies: Rhys Hoskins is on the 60-day injured list following left ACL surgery in March. Hoskins is in Clearwater, Fla., where he’s continuing to rehab and face live pitching as part of Philadelphia's stay-ready group. If the Phillies advance to the World Series, there’s a chance that Hoskins could be added to the roster then.

Right-hander Dylan Covey is on the IL with a lower-back injury.

D-backs: Outfielder Jake McCarthy was removed from the roster just before Game 1 of the Wild Card Series after suffering a strained right oblique. He is not expected back.

Who’s hot, who’s not?

Phillies: Philadelphia's offense, on the other hand, is as hot as any in postseason history. The Phils have hit 15 homers over their past four games, the most by any team in a four-game stretch in playoff history. Schwarber has hit three homers in the first two games of this series after going homerless in the NL Wild Card Series and NLDS. Turner is hitting .500 (15-for-30) with three home runs and a 1.525 OPS this postseason. Harper is hitting .450 with four homers in his past six games. Castellanos has five home runs in his past four games.

D-backs: With two more hits in Game 2, Marte has at least one knock in every game this postseason, but Arizona's offense is overall definitely cold at the moment. The D-backs have not been able to get guys on base in the right situations to steal, which has hampered their ability to score runs. They have just one two-strike hit in the series.