The Texas Rangers became the first team to advance to the League Championship Series on Tuesday night after they swept the Baltimore Orioles. As many as two other teams can punch their tickets tonight, with a pair of pivotal game threes in the NL and a must-win game for the Twins in the AL.
GAME 3: (1) Atlanta Braves vs. (4) Philadelphia Phillies, 5:07 PM ET (TBS)
Series tied, 1-1
Pitching Matchup: Bryce Elder vs. Aaron Nola
The Phillies missed a golden opportunity in Game 2 to take a commanding 2-0 series lead with the series shifting back to their home ballpark. Despite an early lead and a dominant outing from Zack Wheeler, the Braves made a late charge and eeked out a one-run win after Michael Harris II made a terrific play to double up Bryce Harper and end the game.
However, Philadelphia still has a chance to win the series at Citizens Bank Park and return to the NLCS. They will send Aaron Nola, who held the Marlins scoreless over seven innings in the Wild Card round to the mound against Bryce Elder for the Braves. Atlanta will look to get off to a better start than they have in the previous two games and try to quiet the Philly faithful. This is the only series that’s guaranteed to return tomorrow night, regardless of the outcome.
Game 4: (2) Houston Astros vs. (3) Minnesota Twins, 7:07 PM ET (FS1)
HOU leads series, 2-1
Pitching Matchup: José Urquidy vs. Joe Ryan
The Astros have made the ALCS every single season since 2017, and they’re one win away from keeping that streak alive. Houston jumped all over Sonny Gray in Game 3 and took the Minnesota crowd out of the game in the first inning.
If Minnesota wants to stay alive and send the series back to Houston for a do-or-die Game 5, they’ll need a strong start out of Joe Ryan, who has not pitched since Sept. 29. Former AL MVP José Abreu led the charge for the Astros in Game 2 with two home runs.
Game 3: (2) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (6) Arizona Diamondbacks, 9:07 PM ET (TBS)
ARI leads series, 2-0
Pitching Matchup: Lance Lynn vs. Brandon Pfaadt
The Cinderella story of the 2023 MLB playoffs is the Arizona Diamondbacks, who entered with the fewest amount of wins of any team in the postseason with 84, but are now just one win away from the NLCS.
The D-Backs have dominated the Dodgers in the first two games of this series, and are now 4-0 in the playoffs after sweeping the Brewers in the last round. Arizona has been getting contributions from up and down their lineup, and have chased both Clayton Kershaw and Bobby Miller early.
Veteran Lance Lynn is the Dodgers’ final line of defense. Lynn has been much better after being traded to LA than he was with the White Sox, but he still sported a 5.73 ERA this season. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers’ dynamic duo, has combined for only one hit in the first two games of the series. They must get it going if they want to keep Arizona from celebrating on its home field tonight.
