Braves break out 'warrior' Sale to close out Phils in wild-card clincher — SkimNews
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- Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 in Game 3 on Thursday, clinching their first-ever playoff series win over Philadelphia and earning an NLDS date with the Los Angeles Dodgers starting Saturday.
- Michael Harris II launched a three-run homer in the first inning, part of a six-run night powered entirely by home runs from Harris, Ozzie Albies, and Matt Olson against Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Jonathan Bowlan.
- Chris Sale retired four batters out of the bullpen on one day of rest after a 95-pitch Game 1 start, prompting manager Walt Weiss to say "I've run out of superlatives for Chris Sale" and call him "a warrior."
- Ray Kerr, a 32-year-old lefty making just his fourth career big league start, held Philadelphia scoreless for 3⅓ innings and allowed only two baserunners to keep the game within reach.
- Walt Weiss said he had not yet decided whether Sale would be available to start Game 1 of the NLDS against the Dodgers on Saturday, noting "we haven't even talked about that. It was all about tonight."
Why it matters: The wild-card grind leaves Atlanta with a rotation question heading into the NLDS: ace Chris Sale threw 116 pitches across two appearances in three days, and Weiss hasn't committed to starting him Saturday. That could force the Braves to lean on fill-ins like Ray Kerr against a Dodgers team with a deep, rested lineup.
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