The National League Championship Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies continues Friday night with Game 4 at Chase Field in Phoenix. Ketel Marte’s walk-off single gave the D-backs a win in Game 3 on Thursday, though the Philadelphia Phillies still lead the series 2-1. Historically, teams with a 2-1 lead in a best-of-seven have gone on to win the series 70% of the time.
Game 3 was the first game this postseason — this covers every team and every series — to feature a tie score in the sixth inning or later. Arizona won a tight game thanks to Marte and rookie right Brandon Pfaadt, who was magnificent. A 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven is as close to insurmountable as it gets. Now the D-backs have some life.
You can view the full postseason schedule by clicking here, and here’s the 2023 playoff bracket. Now, let’s get to the important stuff for the NLCS.
How to watch Game 4
Date: Friday, Oct. 20 | Time: 8:07 p.m.
Location: Chase Field (Phoenix, AZ)
TV channel: TBS | Live stream: TBS app
Starting pitchers: LHP Cristopher Sánchez (6-7, 4.14 ERA) vs. LHP Joe Mantiply (2-2, 4.62 ERA)
Odds: PHI -131 | ARI +111 | O/U: 9.5
Live updates: Follow along
Preview
Game 4 has a chance to be the most chaotic game of the NLCS. The D-backs are going with a straight bullpen game — it would be a shock if a single Phillies batter sees a pitcher more than once — and the Phillies likely are as well. Sánchez had a good regular season and pitched very well down the stretch, but he has not pitched in a game since Sept. 30. It’s unclear how deep into Game 4 he can go. Dueling bullpen games don’t always equal a lot of offense, but they do equal lots of pitching change and strategy talk.
Prediction
Here at CBS Sports, our only rooting interest is more baseball, therefore we want every series to go the distance. For that reason, I’m going to predict the D-backs out-bullpen the Phillies in Game 4, and even the series up 2-2. Pick: Diamondbacks 5, Phillies 3.