Two games have left the Phillies and Braves with no room left for hiding. Atlanta took the opener in a wild finish, Philadelphia answered with a 4-3 comeback Wednesday, and Thursday at Truist Park will decide which club moves on from the National League Wild Card Series.
Key takeaways
- Game 3 will air on NBC and Peacock, beginning at 2 p.m. ET unless it is the final Wild Card Series still alive, when first pitch would shift to 8 p.m. ET.
- Philadelphia got 29 of its 30 outs in Game 2 from starters Cristopher Sánchez and Andrew Painter.
- Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Jesús Luzardo are all available for the Phillies, with Nola and Wheeler expected to work after pitching Sunday.
- Atlanta’s bullpen posted a 3.44 ERA and an NL-best 1.19 WHIP during the regular season, but its key arms have been hit hard in this series.
- Alec Bohm’s Game 2 homer followed a defensive mistake, while Painter earned his first postseason victory with three scoreless relief innings.
Philadelphia may again lean on its rotation
The Phillies entered October knowing their bullpen depth could force a different kind of postseason script. That issue surfaced immediately in Game 1, when Jhoan Duran was asked to chase a three-inning save. He threw 27 pitches, the attempt failed, and he was unavailable the following night.
Philadelphia’s answer in Game 2 was to treat the middle innings as starter territory. Sánchez and Painter combined for nearly the entire workload, while rookie Alex McFarlane supplied the lone bullpen out before Duran’s appearance in the first game of the series. McFarlane escaped trouble in the seventh inning.
Duran’s condition for Thursday remains uncertain. Interim manager Don Mattingly said the club would evaluate him the next day. The more likely plan is another all-hands pitching effort built around Nola and Wheeler, two veteran right-handers who worked in Sunday’s regular-season finale. Mattingly did not name a starter, though it would be a surprise if both did not take the ball at some point.
Luzardo has also said he can pitch if called upon, and Painter did not rule himself out after his three-inning outing. The 23-year-old framed the moment simply: “Everything is on the line.” He added that Luzardo would give him grief if he claimed he could not pitch, saying his teammate believes he should be ready every day.
Atlanta’s relief edge has become the pressure point
For much of the season, Atlanta could expect its bullpen to shorten games. The group finished fourth in the Majors with a 3.44 ERA across the regular season and led the National League with a 1.19 WHIP. Through two October games, though, the club’s usual strength has become the central question.
Didier Fuentes logged a 2.05 ERA over 70 1/3 relief innings during the season, yet he surrendered J.T. Realmuto’s go-ahead triple in the opener and gave up Bohm’s deciding home run in Game 2. Dylan Lee, Atlanta’s primary left-handed high-leverage option, owns an equally important assignment against Philadelphia’s left-handed power.
Lee dominated the same pocket of Phillies hitters in Game 1, retiring Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Bohm in order. On Wednesday, Schwarber and Harper hit consecutive homers against him in the eighth. Braves manager Walt Weiss did not waver on Lee’s role afterward, calling him the club’s high-leverage lefty and noting that those matchups are normally his inning. If the series reaches another late showdown with Schwarber and Harper, Lee’s response could shape the result.
Game 2 also became a night of recovery for several Phillies. Harper made a costly-looking error in the bottom of the seventh, then tied the game with his homer an inning later. Bohm had helped create that seventh-inning trouble when he unsuccessfully tried to get the lead runner after a sacrifice bunt with a man on first and none out. His later home run changed the tone of his night.
Painter’s road back has been just as striking. He was sent to Triple-A on June 17 carrying a 7.06 ERA, returned about six weeks later and pitched well enough down the stretch to make the postseason roster. His three scoreless innings Wednesday made him the youngest pitcher in Phillies history to win a postseason game.
The deciding blow in each game has come from a player who was not the most obvious choice. Austin Riley, after a difficult regular season, hit the Game 1 winner for Atlanta. Bohm answered for Philadelphia in Game 2, adding another turn to a Phillies tenure that has often swung between highs and lows.
Thursday could still belong to one of the stars: Schwarber or Harper could send Philadelphia into a National League Division Series rematch with the Dodgers, while Ronald Acuña Jr. or Matt Olson could push Atlanta to its first NLDS appearance since 2023. After two games like these, though, the clubhouse ought to leave room for another unexpected name to take the last swing.
