Phillies Braves Game 3: Huge pitching risks loom for both
Andrew Painter’s three scoreless innings of relief carried the Phillies to a 4-3, 10-inning win over the Braves on Wednesday, Sept. 30, in Atlanta, and Alec Bohm’s two-out homer in the 10th forced Phillies Braves Game 3. Now both teams face hard choices about who pitches, and for how long, in Thursday’s winner-take-all game at Truist Park.
The National League Wild Card Series is tied 1-1. The winner advances to the NL Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to Sporting News.
Painter’s relief outing exposed the bullpen’s workload
Cristopher Sánchez lasted 6⅔ innings for Philadelphia, throwing 116 pitches and allowing three runs on six hits with five walks, per the ESPN box score. That long start limited how many relievers Philadelphia needed, but closer Jhoan Duran was unavailable after giving up Austin Riley’s winning homer in Game 1, ESPN reported. Asked if Duran would be available for Game 3, manager Don Mattingly said, “I hope.”
Painter, a regular-season starter, threw 37 pitches over three scoreless innings to earn the win. He ended the game by striking out Dominic Smith on a 99 mph fastball after catcher J.T. Realmuto challenged a ball call and the automated ball-strike system overturned it. It was the first MLB playoff game to end on a challenge, according to ESPN.
“That’s a career-altering performance, in my opinion,” Realmuto said of Painter.
Philadelphia’s pitching puzzle for Phillies Braves Game 3
Philadelphia had not named a Game 3 starter Wednesday night. Either Aaron Nola or Zack Wheeler will get the ball, with Wheeler working on short rest if he goes, Yahoo Sports reported.
The decision carries real risk: start Wheeler on short rest, or go with Nola and lean on a bullpen that may again be without a fully rested Duran.
Atlanta’s Grant Holmes plan
The Braves’ plan is shaped by their rotation. Chris Sale started Game 1 and Tyler Mahle started Game 2, and neither is an option Thursday. Braves manager Walt Weiss said Grant Holmes would be lined up to pitch the bulk of the innings, according to MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, as cited by Sporting News.
Weiss did not say whether Holmes would start or follow an opener. Bowman suggested Ray Kerr or Brent Suter as possible openers, which would let Holmes avoid facing Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper at the top of the order in the first inning.
Mahle gave Atlanta seven innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts in Game 2, ESPN reported, but the Braves cannot count on that kind of length from Holmes in Phillies Braves Game 3. Bohm’s winning homer off Fuentes traveled just 357 feet, barely clearing the right-field wall.
The risk for Atlanta is that the Phillies’ sluggers already broke through late in Game 2. Schwarber hit a 447-foot homer and Harper followed with a 418-foot shot in the eighth inning off Dylan Lee to tie the game, according to the ESPN box score. If Phillies Braves Game 3 stays close into the late innings, Atlanta will again lean on relievers such as Raisel Iglesias, Didier Fuentes and Lee, who all pitched Wednesday.
The stakes for Phillies Braves Game 3
Philadelphia has won its last three postseason series against Atlanta: the 1993 NL Championship Series and the 2022 and 2023 NL Division Series. Thursday decides whether that trend continues or whether the Braves, who won 94 games, move on.
The game is set for Thursday night, Oct. 1, at Truist Park in Atlanta, with NBC and Peacock carrying it, per MLB.com. The Phillies need a long outing from their starter to protect the bullpen. The Braves need Holmes and an opener to get through Philadelphia’s lineup without a middle-innings collapse.
For more, read our Phillies-Braves Game 2 recap, Jesús Luzardo’s wild-card return and the latest MLB news.