NL Division Series Game 3’s game threads

Someone will take the series leads today

More playoff baseball! For the fourth straight day we will be treated to at least a couple playoff games. After spending yesterday watching American League playoffs we switch back to the National League where we have a couple of tied series that need tie-breaking.

The first game will be that Phillies-Mets matchup. We’ll be seeing a former Athletic take the mound for the home team as lefty Sean Manaea will get the nod for the Mets for this critical Game 3. Our old friend Manaea has had a resurgent year for New York as he’s bounced back from a couple down seasons with the Giants to post a 3.47 ERA over 32 starts, providing the Mets with consistent results all year. He’s pitched in the playoffs a few times to mixed results, including with the A’s. Let’s see how he does in today’s critical contest.

He’ll be going up against Phillies co-ace Aaron Nola, making his 10th career postseason start. The right-hander has been a force for Philadelphia in the playoffs over the past few years and should be good to go for his first playoff outing of 2024. Can he provide the Phillies with five innings against a team he’s seen plenty of in his career.

After the first game comes the West Coast game that most of us care more about. The Padres are back home in San Diego where they will welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers for the critical Game 3 that will tilt this series in one direction or the other. The Dodgers will be relying on a former top prospect in Walker Buehler for this matchup. Things have fallen off the rails for the right-hander since 2021 when he looked like a budding ace for Los Angeles. Instead he’s had Tommy John surgery and failed to return to the same form that made him a building block for the perennially-winning Dodgers. He can put all of that in the past if he can come through for his team in this critical Game 3.

Buehler and the Dodgers lineup will be going up against Padres right-hander Michael King. One of the return pieces from the Yankees for Juan Soto, King has been just that for San Diego in 2024, pitching to a sub-3 ERA while anchoring the middle of the Padres’ rotation. King will be hoping to put his team in front with a stellar start today. Can he put his team in front two days after Dodgers “fans” threw stuff at his teammates? This should be a spicy matchup.