It's win or go home for the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday night at Truist Park in a decisive Game 3 of the Wild Card Series in the 2026 MLB playoffs. The winner advances to face the reigning champion Dodgers in the NLDS. The loser goes home for the winter.
Both teams figure to use an all-hands-on-deck pitching approach. The Braves are using left-hander Ray Kerr (1.47 ERA in nine regular-season appearances) as an opener in Game 3, and righty Grant Holmes (10-6, 3.44 ERA in 31 games) is set to follow as the bulk pitcher. The Phillies will start right-hander Aaron Nola. Nola, who last appeared as an opener on Saturday against the Rays, had a 4.67 ERA in the regular season, but that mark was 3.39 since the start of July.
While every other series of the wild-card round was a sweep, the first two Braves-Phillies games were tense, back-and-forth affairs. The Braves won Game 1 on Tuesday thanks to Austin Riley's three-run home run against Phillies closer Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning. The Phillies took Game 2 on Wednesday despite falling behind in the seventh inning on a misplay in right field from Bryce Harper. Kyle Schwarber and Harper hit back-to-back home runs to tie the game in the eighth inning before Alec Bohm's solo home run in the 10th proved to be the difference.
What does Game 3 have in store? We'll be with you the whole way with live updates and analysis. Follow along below.
Left-hander Ray Kerr's first pitch to Trea Turner is a fastball inside. Kerr is an opener and his job is to get through Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper unscathed. Righty Grant Holmes is expected to handle bulk work out of the bullpen.
My guess is no. He threw 95 pitches in Game 1 on Tuesday. Sale hasn't pitched on one day of rest since he was reliever with the White Sox in 2011. He hasn't pitched on as little as three days' rest since the 2018 postseason with the Red Sox. The season is on the line, so it's all hands on deck, but the Braves try to give Sale as much rest at possible now that he's 37, especially late in the season. I would be surprised to see Sale tonight, even if only for the Schwarber/Harper lane late in the game.
We're down to nine teams in the 2026 MLB playoff bracket. The three other Wild Card Series were sweeps this year, and Game 1 winners in the wild-card round have now won the series 18 times in 19 tries since MLB switched to this format in 2022. Can the Braves make it 19 for 20? Or will the Phillies buck the trend?
