Who is pitching in Phillies vs. Braves Game 3? Braves reveal starting plan
Who is pitching in Phillies vs. Braves Game 3? Braves reveal starting plan
Steve Gardner, USA TODAYThu, October 1, 2026 at 3:47 PM UTC
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After two nail-biting finishes in their first two NL wild-card playoff games, the Braves and Phillies have tough pitching decisions to make tonight.
The Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies have the spotlight all to themselves today as the lone Game 3 of this year's MLB wild card playoffs.
After the teams combined to use seven pitchers in Wednesday's 10-inning thriller, the state of the respective pitching staffs is the biggest question mark going into the winner-take-all showdown.
The two teams didn't announce their Game 3 starters immediately, but we can look at the rosters, see who's already pitched and make some educated guesses about who's available for tonight's game.
To reset the stakes, the winner of the Braves-Phillies series will travel to Los Angeles to face the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers in the NL division series, which starts on Saturday.
PHILLIES-BRAVES PREDICTIONS: Who we see winning NL wild card Game 3
Who is starting Game 3 for Phillies?
The Phillies have the luxury of having four solid starting pitchers on their active roster. So after using lefties Jesus Luzardo in Game 1 and Cristopher Sanchez in Game 2, they can turn to right-handers Aaron Nola or Zack Wheeler (or both) in Game 3.
Nola seems to be the logical choice. He's been excellent down the stretch, with a 2.93 ERA and 1.16 WHIP during his final 11 starts in the regular season. Plus, he'd make the start on his normal schedule after last taking the mound Saturday, Sept. 26 for one inning against the Tampa Bay Rays.
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Wheeler, who delivered six strong innings in the regular-season finale on Sunday, Sept. 27 to get the Phillies into the playoffs, would presumably be available out of the bullpen on three days' rest.
Bullpen note: Andrew Painter's three stellar innings of scoreless relief in Game 2 allowed the Phillies to give closer Jhoan Duran the day off after he pitched two innings in Game 1. Duran should be fresh, if needed, for the late innings.
Who is starting Game 3 for Braves?
UPDATE: The Braves have selected left-handed reliever Ray Kerr to take the mound first in Game 3.
Atlanta's two best starters down the stretch – Chris Sale and Tyler Mahle – pitched in the first two games of the series, leaving an open question as to who gets the nod tonight.
Right-hander Grant Holmes would be the logical choice, since he last pitched on Saturday and would be on his normal four days of rest. Holmes made a career-high 29 starts this season, but he came out of the bullpen to toss four innings in that Sept. 26 appearance against the Miami Marlins.
However, the Braves could also use one of their four left-handed relief pitchers on the roster as an opener to try and neutralize lefty sluggers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in the first inning. Then after that, they could turn to Holmes for as long as he's able to last.
Bullpen note: Atlanta's best left-handed reliever during the regular season, Dylan Lee, has appeared in both of the first two games – entering in the eighth inning to face Schwarber and Harper. After pitching a 1-2-3 inning in Game 1, Lee gave up back-to-back homers to the lefty sluggers in Game 2. Would the Braves consider going back to him for a third consecutive game? Closer Raisel Iglesias has also pitched in each of the first two games, so his effectiveness may also be in question if he's called upon in Game 3.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is pitching in Phillies vs. Braves Game 3? Braves reveal starting plan
Source: “AOL Sports”
