NLCS Game 4: Bailey Falter gets the nod against Mike Clevinger to put the Phillies one win away from the World Series
Last night was absolutely insane so please, bare with me as I try to get my brain to communicate with my hands so I can type words. The Philadelphia Phillies won Game 3 of the NLCS thanks to Jean Segura and dominant performances from Zach Eflin, Jose Alvarado, and Seranthony Dominguez.Â
You can read the full Game 3 recap here >>
One of the greatest things about playoff baseball is that these games keep on coming. The Fightins punched the Padres in the mouth last night in front of an INSANE crowd at Citizens Bank Park and now, attention quickly shifts focus to tonight for Game 4, where Bailey Falter will get the start looking to put a death grip on San Diego by taking a 3-1 advantage heading into tomorrow’s Game 5 matinee.
This series needs to end in Philadelphia.
Bailey Falter – For All Things Holy
It has been a while since we have seen Bailey Falter on the mound for the Phillies, which people are already pointing out as an area of concern for tonight’s game. Falter has pitched just one inning over the last three weeks, which was in Houston on October 5th. Before that, he pitched five innings on September 30th.Â
Overall, Falter finished the regular season appearing in 20 games (16 starts) with a 6-4 record and a 3.86 ERA. In the month of September, Falter went 3-1 with a 3.51 ERA and 22 strikeouts over five starts.Â
It’s hard to tell what the Phillies will do with their bullpen after Falter tonight. According Rob Thomson, the Phillies want Falter to get through the Padres’ lineup one time just like they had Syndergaard do against the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.
Syndergaard will likely be the next man up and from there, Thomson will rely on his bullpen to get the job done. Eflin, Alvarado, and Dominguez all pitched last night but that’s not saying much. Alvarado is on record saying he wants to pitch in every single game and even Dominguez, who dominated the final two innings last night for the Phillies, stated postgame that he’ll be ready to pitch whenever he’s called upon.
Still, depending on how the offense performs tonight, I would imagine we’ll see a Falter-Syndergaard start and lead into a Robertson and possibly Kyle Gibson assuming things are working in the Phillies favor. However, don’t be surprised if you see Alvarado and Eflin back out there in a tight game.
Opposing Falter and the bullpen will be Padres pitcher Mike Clevinger. On the year, Clevinger went 7-7 with a 4.33 ERA in 23 games. Clevinger started against the Dodgers in the NLDS and was SHELLED, allowing six hits, including a home run in just over five innings of work.
In his lone appearance against the Phillies in the regular season, Clevinger didn’t allow a run and only coughed up one hit with five strikeouts in five innings of work. The Padres won that game 3-0.Â
Padres @ Phillies – 7:45PM EST – Citizens Bank Park – Philadelphia, PA
| TEAM | SPREAD | MONEY | TOTAL |
| San Diego Padres | -1.5 (+150) | -104 | O 8 (-105) |
| Philadelphia Phillies | +1.5 (-182) | -112 | U 8 (-115) |
Look, this is postseason baseball and the Phillies just keep rolling in the right direction. Last night’s win was HUGE for momentum and set the tone for tonight and tomorrow at Citizens Bank Park.
Just like the bullpen game against the Braves last weekend, if the Phillies pitching staff and limit the damage and the bats can continue to get timely hits, then there’s absolutely zero reason why the Phillies won’t win tonight and look to close things out tomorrow with Zack Wheeler on the mound.
RING IT.
Prediction: Phillies ML -112 | O 8 (-105)
