The Philadelphia Phillies rallied from a 3-1 deficit late in Wednesday’s contest against the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card Series.
Philadelphia won 4-3 on the back of three separate solo home runs and has now forced a win-or-go-home Game 3 set to take place on Thursday night.
With their season on the line, the Phillies are set to start right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola, while the Braves will pitch lefty Ray Kerr, which has prompted Phillies manager Don Mattingly to make some important lineup changes.
Phillies Announce Brandon Marsh Decision
With a lefty on the mound, Mattingly has continued to platoon left fielder Brandon Marsh, despite him having the best season of his six-year MLB career.
As a result, Marsh will not start Game 3. Instead, Bryan De La Cruz will get the start in left field, while Marsh will likely enter the game once a right-hander emerges for the Braves. That could happen fairly quickly depending on how long Weiss lets Kerr pitch.
Here’s the full Phillies starting lineup;
Via Underdog MLB: “Phillies 10/1 T. Turner SS K. Schwarber DH B. Harper RF A. Bohm 1B B. Stott 2B B. De La Cruz LF E. Sosa 3B J. Realmuto C J. Crawford CF A. Nola SP.”
Phillies 10/1
T. Turner SS
K. Schwarber DH
B. Harper RF
A. Bohm 1B
B. Stott 2B
B. De La Cruz LF
E. Sosa 3B
J. Realmuto C
J. Crawford CFA. Nola SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) October 1, 2026
Looking at Game 3 for Phillies
Marsh didn’t start Game 1 either for Philadelphia, as LHP Chris Sale was on the mound. As a result, he’s only logged four at-bats, but he’s still managed to record two hits.
As for Philadelphia, they’re set to have all hands on deck, as are the Braves, with this potentially being the end of their season. The winner will advance to the NLDS beginning Saturday, where they’ll face the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Philadelphia Phillies Announce Brandon Marsh Decision Before Game 3 vs. Braves