The Philadelphia Phillies fought back to force the only Game 3 of any Wild Card series, as they face the Atlanta Braves in this win-or-go-home NL matchup.
Aaron Nola is expected to start for the Phillies while the Braves look likely to opt for an opener in lefty Ray Kerr, with Grant Holmes expected to pitch the bulk of the game.
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves betting picks and predictions
Phillies ML (-115)
The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies are no strangers to each other by now and the NL East rivals will face off in one last game this season in Thursday night’s elimination matchup.
The Phillies came from behind to send this to a Game 3 and the momentum could be with them to take this decider. Aaron Nola is scheduled to take the start for Philadelphia and this veteran knows exactly what it takes to get the job done.
He had two solid outings against these opponents earlier this month, pitching 13 1/3 innings and allowing three earned runs on 10 hits.
If he runs into any issues, the Phillies will be able to turn to Zach Wheeler on short rest and he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball across the last month, with a 1.71 ERA in September.
To add to that, Philadelphia interim manager Don Mattingly has stated that it will be all hands on deck, with Game 1 starter Jesus Luzardo another possibility out of the pen.
That looks like a stronger set of options than the Braves have at their disposal, with Kerr only used as an opener once before this season and Holmes struggling with his command late on in the regular season.
The Braves bullpen cost them Game 2 and it could be a similar story in this decider, particularly against a Phillies lineup that made a big impact in clutch spots last night.
Back-to-back home runs from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper showed why they are such a dangerous combination and it may be Philadelphia celebrating once again.
Kyle Schwarber over 1.5 total bases (+125)
Phillies DH Kyle Schwarber came up big last night with a solo home run which kickstarted their comeback victory and he could have another big game tonight.
The veteran has been there, done that in the postseason and has a strong record against the Braves this season, with five home runs and a .956 OPS when facing Atlanta this year.
He has been particularly strong against their bullpen, hitting the likes of Brent Suter, Dylan Dodd and Dider Fuentes hard, and in a game which could be decided late on, that is a good omen for the road team.
Take Schwarber to go over 1.5 total bases in Game 3.
Aaron Nola over 11.5 outs (-130)
The Phillies’ Aaron Nola has made 41 career starts against the Atlanta Braves, and two more in the postseason, but none have been as big as this Wildcard decider.
The veteran had a poor start to the season, with a 6.04 ERA at the end of June but he was impressive in the latter part of the year and should be able to record 12 or more outs.
Philadelphia’s pitching options out the bullpen are impressive but Mattingly will want to wring the most out of Nola that he can and the Boston Red Sox showed the dangers of taking a starter out too early in their Game 2 loss to the New York Yankees.
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Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves odds
Philadelphia Phillies | -115 ML |
Atlanta Braves | -105 ML |
Run Line | PHI Phillies -1.5 |
Total | O/U 7.5 |
Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves player props
Player Home Run Odds
Kyle Schwarber (PHI Phillies) | +300 |
Matt Olson (ATL Braves) | +400 |
Bryce Harper (PHI Phillies) | +525 |
Ronald Acuna Jr. (ATL Braves) | +525 |
Michael Harris II (ATL Braves) | +575 |
Austin Riley (ATL Braves) | +625 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
