The Philadelphia Phillies routed the Atlanta Braves 10-2 and the Phillies have now taken 2-1 lead in the series. Aaron Nola received his second win of the postseason, while Bryce Elder suffered his first loss in his postseason debut. This was a very disappointing loss for Atlanta, especially coming off the dramatic 5-4 win on Monday which shifted the series’ momentum.
The Pitching Results
Bryce Elder, Braves
Bryce Elder definitely did not have his best night overall. Elder started off strong in the first two innings, striking out four of the first six batters he faced. However, in the bottom of the third inning, the Phillies offence came around. The Phillies had six hits that had exit velocities over 90 miles per hour, and these hits translated to a 6-run third inning for Philly, including a 3-run home run for superstar Bryce Harper. Elder was pulled after only 2.2 IP, giving up 6 Earned Runs with 4 strikeouts. Elder’s postseason debut did not go as planned for him, and when he made a few mistakes, he was unable to respond.
Aaron Nola, Phillies
Despite Aaron Nola’s regular season struggles, he continues to be dominant in the postseason this year. Nola began this postseason by hurling 7 innings of shutout ball against the Marlins, securing the win. On Wednesday Night, Nola went 5.2 IP, only allowing 6 hits and 2 Earned Runs while striking out 9 batters. Nola continued where he had left off from last week against Miami and shut down the Braves’ explosive offence. When Aaron Nola wasn’t striking batters out, he was able to induce weak ground balls and allowed his defence to do the rest. Nola bent at times, but he never entirely broke and he was able to stop the bleeding immediately when he got into trouble. His efficiency was one of the main reasons why the Phillies came out of this game victorious.
The Offences
Braves
The Braves’ offence was first in many major offensive categories (Average, OPS, Hits, Home Runs) during the regular season, but Atlanta is only averaging about two runs per game in the NLDS. Tonight was no different, with the Braves struggling to get to Aaron Nola. Atlanta had an opportunity to put pressure on Aaron Nola almost immediately in the first inning. After two straight outs by Acuna and Albies, both Austin Riley and Matt Olson hit back-to-back singles to put a runner in scoring position for Marcell Ozuna. Nola painted a 95 MPH fastball on the outside corner to strike Ozuna out looking, resulting in a wasted opportunity for the Braves’ offence. These situations continued to occur for the Braves, as they ended the night leaving 17 men on base, with Ozuna being responsible for 4. The Braves’ offence has to return back to regular season form if they want any hopes of making a deep postseason run.
Phillies
On the flip side of things, the Phillies’ offence obliterated any pitching the Braves threw at them. The Phillies, being 8th in the regular season in home runs, used that power to lead them to a 10-2 win. Philadelphia hit a total of six home runs off of the Braves’ pitching staff. Nicholas Castellanos hit 2 home runs, Bryce Harper hit 2, Trea Turner added a solo shot of his own, and outfielder Brandon Marsh even got in on the action and hit an opposite-field dinger. The Phillies continue to impress, especially coming from a Wild Card team that snuck their way into the postseason. If Bryce Harper and the offence can continue performing at this level, a World Series appearance in back-to-back seasons for the Phillies is definitely a not far-fetched.
Braves’ Top Performers:
Ronald Acuna Jr. (RF): 2-5, Run, Stolen Base
Ozzie Albies (2B): 2-4, RBI, BB
Orlando Arcia (SS): 1-4, RBI
Phillies’ Top Performers:
Trea Turner (SS): 2-4, HR, 2 Runs, RBI, BB
Bryce Harper (1B): 2-5, 2 HR, 2 Runs, 4 RBI
Nicholas Castellanos (RF): 2-4, 2 Runs, 2 HR, 2 RBI,
Brandon Marsh (LF): 3-4, 2 Runs, HR, RBI
Aaron Nola (SP): 5.2 IP, 6 Hits, 2 ER, 9 K, 1 BB (1.42 ERA this Postseason)
The Philadelphia Phillies will attempt to win the series and pull off the upset of the postseason on Thursday Night. Start time for Game 4 of this NLDS is 6:07 EST, where Braves’ ace Spencer Strider will take the mound for Atlanta to try and force a Game 5.
(Photo via Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)