The National League Division Series gets back underway after an off day on Thursday. Both series enter Friday in a 1-1 tie headed into a pivotal Game 3 of a best-of-five.
Atlanta Braves vs Philadelphia Phillies, 4:37 PM – FS1
The Braves tied up the series with a 3-0 win in Game 2 behind six scoreless innings from Kyle Wright. Matt Olson, Travis d’Arnaud, and Austin Riley each drove in one run for Atlanta.
Star rookie Spencer Strider (11-5, 2.67 ERA) gets his first taste of postseason play with the start on Friday for Atlanta. The right-hander had a whopping 202 strikeouts in 131 innings this year and allowed only 86 hits during that span.
Former Cy Young winner Aaron Nola (11-13, 3.25 ERA) will start for the Phillies in Philadelphia on Friday. Nola made his postseason debut in the Wild Card Series this year with 6 2/3 scoreless innings.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres, 8:37 PM – FS1
The Padres evened up the series with a 5-3 win on Wednesday thanks to home runs from Manny Machado and Jake Cronenworth. San Diego got four scoreless innings from their bullpen including four outs from closer Josh Hader.
Right-hander Tony Gonsolin (16-1, 2.14 ERA) will start for the Dodgers in San Diego, but he’s only pitched two innings since August 23 so he will likely only throw around 75 pitches.
Left-hander Blake Snell (8-10, 3.38 ERA) makes his second start of the postseason for the Padres. Against the Mets in the Wild Card Series, Snell walked six batters in only 3 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old has a 3.05 ERA in 10 playoff appearances.
