PHILADELPHIA -- It might be a battle of National League Wild Cards with a visit to the World Series on the road starting Monday night time at Citizens Bank Park.

While the fourth-seeded Phillies hope to achieve the Fall Classic for the second straight yr and hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy this time round, the sixth-seeded D-backs look to profit from their first NL Championship Series since 2007.

“They're playing a lot like us right now,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto mentioned. “They're sizzling. That's what the postseason is all about. You get in a rhythm. You get confidence. You get momentum, and that is one thing that they've actually performed with this postseason.

“Their lineup is really deep. They have really good right-handed hitters. They have really good left-handed hitters. They hit for power. They hit for average. They walk. They take their walks. Most of them are stealing bases. It’s definitely a challenging lineup to navigate through, but the most daunting thing about them right now is how much confidence they're playing with.”

This will mark the primary postseason showdown between these two golf equipment. Philadelphia took the season sequence, 4-3, in 2023 and outscored Arizona 44-34 within the course of. The pitching matchups ought to be a doozy, with Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler and D-backs right-hander Zac Gallen going through one another in Game 1, adopted by righties Aaron Nola and Merrill Kelly in Game 2 on Tuesday night time.

“It's not luck, but we're both playing really, really quality baseball at the moment,” mentioned D-backs first baseman Christian Walker. “I'm looking forward to competing with these guys. We've had some good games against them this year. And it's a great group of guys -- looking forward to battling against them.”

When is the sport and the way can I watch it? Game 1 might be at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. MST on Monday at Citizens Bank Park, airing on TBS.

All sequence can be found within the U.S. on MLB.TV with authentication to a collaborating Pay TV supplier. Games can be found reside internationally (besides in Canada). Full recreation archives can be found roughly 90 minutes after the sport ends.

Who are the beginning pitchers?D-backs: RHP Zac GallenGallen has been Arizona's ace all yr lengthy, and by sweeping the Dodgers in three video games, the D-backs are in a position to arrange their rotation the best way they need.

Gallen made one begin towards the Brewers within the NL Wild Card Series and allowed two runs within the first inning, however nothing after that in going six innings. Against the Dodgers in Game 2 of the NL Division Series, he allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings and received the win. Gallen is anticipating fairly the cheering part to be available, as he grew up close to Citizens Bank Park in South Jersey.

Phillies: RHP Zack Wheeler Wheeler was set to begin Game 5 of the NLDS on Saturday in Atlanta, however with the Phillies wrapping up the sequence in 4 video games, Wheeler as a substitute will begin Game 1 of the NLCS on additional relaxation. Wheeler went 13-6 with a 3.61 ERA in 32 regular-season begins, however he takes his pitching to a different degree within the postseason.

Wheeler is 2-3 with a 2.59 ERA in eight profession postseason begins. There are 121 pitchers in baseball historical past who've began eight or extra postseason video games. Wheeler ranks nineteenth in ERA. He is first in WHIP (0.72), and it's not even shut. Hall of Famers Christy Mathewson (0.85) and Bob Gibson (0.89) are second and third, respectively.

What are the beginning lineups?D-backs: Manager Torey Lovullo favored to combine and match his lineups through the common season, however he’s just about stayed with the identical one all through the playoffs.

Phillies: Manager Rob Thomson will lean on left-handed hitters towards Gallen, which suggests Brandon Marsh performs left area over Cristian Pache, and Bryce Harper hits third as a substitute of cleanup. Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber are the one Phillies gamers to homer towards Gallen.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter? D-backs: Arizona's bullpen has morphed from a weak spot to a power over the course of the season, and Lovullo has been aggressive through the postseason in how he makes use of his relievers. Paul Sewald, acquired on the Trade Deadline, is the nearer, with Kevin Ginkel the first setup man. Right-hander Ryan Thompson, signed after the Rays launched him in August, and lefty Andrew Saalfrank, referred to as up in September, can even see high-leverage conditions.

Phillies: Thomson loves the Phils' arms and depth within the bullpen, so he'll proceed to be aggressive in making pitching adjustments within the NLCS. Right-hander Craig Kimbrel and José Alvarado have been sharing closing duties the previous few weeks. Right behind them are right-handers Jeff Hoffman, Seranthony Domínguez, Orion Kerkering and Michael Lorenzen and left-handers Gregory Soto and Matt Strahm, who recorded the ultimate out of the NLDS.

Any accidents of be aware?D-backs: Moreno was faraway from Game 3 of the NLDS after being hit in the proper hand by a foul tip. X-rays have been unfavorable, and he might be able to go for Game 1 of the NLCS. Outfielder Jake McCarthy was faraway from the roster simply earlier than Game 1 of the Wild Card Series after struggling a strained proper indirect. He just isn't on the NLCS roster.

Right-hander Dylan Covey is on the IL with a lower-back harm. He was not anticipated to make the NLCS roster.

Who’s sizzling, who’s not? D-backs: It seems like the complete D-backs workforce is sizzling in the meanwhile, however Carroll (1.389 OPS), Moreno (1.107) and Walker (1.023) all have had robust postseasons.

Phillies: Castellanos turned the primary participant in postseason historical past to have back-to-back multihomer video games, hitting two homers in Game 3 of the NLDS and two homers in Game 4. …. Turner is batting .500 with 4 doubles, two residence runs and a 1.455 OPS this postseason. … Harper is batting .368 with three homers and a 1.380 OPS within the postseason.

Content Source: www.mlb.com