Phillies Take On Mets In NLDS Game 3: Keys To The Game, How To Watch

QUEENS, NEW YORK — Red October hits I-95 Tuesday night as the National League Division Series heads up to Flushing Meadows in New York City for Game 3.

The Phillies and Mets are tied at a game apiece after the Phillies won an all time classic Game 2, striking back against the Mets three consecutive times to finally win on a walk-off Nick Castellanos single in the bottom of the 9th.

Games 3 and 4 will be played Tuesday and Wednesday night at Citi Field, where the Mets may have home field advantage but where a significant number of Phillies fans can always be expected.

If either team wins both games, the series is over. If the teams split the next two in New York, the decisive Game 5 will be back in Philadelphia on Friday night.

How to watch

The game will be televised on FS1. First pitch is at 5:08 p.m. at Citi Field in New York.

The series so far

Zack Wheeler completely shut down the Mets in Game 1 for 7 innings, but the Phillies elite bullpen arms imploded in the 8th, and the Mets won, 6-2.

The Phillies bats remained cold until the 6th inning Sunday in Game 2, and despite a very solid 5 innings from Cristopher Sanchez, the outlook was glum until a pair of back to back home runs by Bryce Harper and Castellanos kickstarted the offense to 7 runs in the final frames.

The Mets have a lot of momentum from getting into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season and winning multiple "must win" games over the last 10 days. That momentum carried the Mets in the opening two games. The Phillies comeback in Game 2 seemed to switch that momentum back to Philly.

Pitching matchup

The Phillies will trot out their longest tenured player, workhorse Aaron Nola. Nola has long been considered the Phillies true number two pitcher behind Wheeler, but Sanchez got the start in Game 2 because he tends to pitch better at home and because manager Rob Thomson believed Nola would handle the pressure of the New York crowd well in Game 3.

Nola had another solid season in 2024, tallying 197 strikeouts in 199.1 innings of 3.57 ERA ball while making all 33 of his scheduled starts, which was tied for the most in all of baseball.

Nola's numbers are in line with his career averages and might seem to indicate a typical number two or three starter, but the reality in the box score is a bit different. Nola was often either utterly dominant or he struggled, and this dichotomy finds expression in his two starts against the Mets this year: one on May 14, when he threw a complete game shutout at Citi Field, and one on Sept. 13, when he gave up 6 runs in 4.1 innings.

The Mets will counter with Sean Manaea, a tricky lefty with similar numbers to Nola in 2024: a 3.47 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 181 innings. He has struggled against the Phillies historically. Since 2022, he has racked up a 6.05 ERA across five starts, including three this year, though like Nola, one of those starts was very bad, and two very good.

Things to watch

The Phillies trusted, elite bullpen arms — Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, and Orion Kerkering — have all struggled this series. Carlos Estevez pitched a perfect inning in Game 2, but it will be interesting to see what Thomson decides to do when — and if — they decide to pull Nola. Look for them to ride Nola as long as they to minimize their reliance on the suddenly shaky bullpen.

Similarly, Mets closer Edwin Diaz struggled on Sunday, allowing three runs after Bryson Stott's pivotal triple. The Mets did not have a deep bullpen in the regular season, and if the Phillies can get Manaea out of the game early, their could be offensive fireworks from the Fightins' in Game 3.

What's next

Game 4 is 5:08 p.m. on Wednesday, and if necessary, Game 5 is 4:33 p.m. on Friday.

The winner of the Phillies and Mets series, a battle of the east, will face the winner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres series out in the west in the National League Championship Series. That series is also tied at one game apiece as it heads to San Diego for Game 3.

The National League Championship Series will be held from Oct. 13 through Oct. 22.
The World Series is scheduled for Oct. 25 to Nov. 2.