Aaron Nola or Nothing: Phillies staring down elimination tonight in Los Angeles

Aaron Nola or Nothing – The Philadelphia Phillies aren’t officially dead yet but the caskets might as well be stacked up outside the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium.

Down 0-2 in the NLDS, history will tell you that 92 teams have been in this hole since the five-game series was created, and only 10 have come back.

We’re talking just over ten percent that actually put up a fight and right now, the Phillies are staring at that mountain.

As always, there’s a path to defy the odds and it all begins tonight in Los Angeles, as Aaron Nola takes the mound in Game 3 of the NLDS against Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

All Things Philadelphia Phillies and Red October Here >>

Aaron Nola or Nothing

Aaron Nola gets the ball in Game 3, and it might be the most important start of his Phillies career. For all things holy, Nola has to show up. You can’t just ignore the gems he’s pitched in October over the past three years.

Ranger Suarez will be used as a piggyback out of the bullpen in the event that things go sideways quick for Aaron Nola which honestly, is perfectly fine with me.

Lots of chatter questioning the decision from Topper to send Nola to the mound. I literally do not care. In fact, I think he’ll pitch well enough for the Phillies to win the game and extend this another night.

Obviously, it’s not like Nola has ever thrown out of the bullpen. Giving him a start makes perfect sense. Ranger Suarez definitely has pitched out of the bullpen and has done so successfully in the postseason, so if that’s the reasoning Rob Thomson is going with, then it’s surprisingly accurate. 

When did the Phillies decide that Nola would get the nod in Game 3? If Ranger Suarez was always going to be used out of the bullpen, then why wasn’t he considered when the Phillies were up 3-0 in Game 1 or trying to keep the game within reach in Game 2? 

That, along with a ton of other decisions that have been made over the past week, is on Rob Thomson to answer but if you’ve been paying attention, I really don’t see any proper clarification coming our way anytime soon.

Again, it doesn’t even matter. Aaron Nola is the guy and the season, the Philadelphia Phillies as constructed, the so-called Golden Era that we’ve been in for the past 4-5 years, it’s all riding on the arm of Aaron Nola.

Rob Thomson gives Aaron Nola the nod in Game 3 of the NLDS, Ranger Suarez available out of the pen

A Trip Out West Should Do The Phillies Good…

Maybe two straight games in Los Angeles is exactly what this team needs. All that rest killed the rhythm at the plate. Then you drop two games at home and let emotions get the best of you when talking to the media… and let’s just say things got ugly quick.

Now, back-to-back games against the Dodgers might be the jolt they need. Obviously Nola needs to steady the waters on the mound but in reality, that doesn’t even matter if the top 3 guys in the lineup don’t start hitting.

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Career-Defining Moments for the Top 3

We will start with the obvious. I’m looking at you, Kyle Schwarber.

You played 162 games this year, you can’t go ice-cold now. This lineup has to shake itself awake and remember what carried them through the summer.

Look, there’s a very good chance that the Phillies championship window ends tonight. We had four years to parade down Broad Street and came up short in every single one of them.

Bryce Harper has been here. Trea Turner was brought here to be the final piece.

Neither of them however, have made it happen and no one can stomach more games like 1 & 2. There’s going to be a lot of changes to the lineup next season, probably even more if they don’t pull off a miracle against the Dodgers.

How Trea Turner and Bryce Harper perform from here on out will be legacy-defining and it’s 100% on them to answer the call. Set the tone early tonight against Yamamoto and give the rest of the lineup an early spark.

Phillies announce road uniforms for Game 3 and 4, and they’re winning both of them

The Only Way Out

If the Phillies win tonight, the season has life. If they lose, well, you already know what happens next. The fact remains that the Phillies have beaten the Dodgers before, even in L.A. The first two games of this series were both winnable. They know how to win. Just one win flips the pressure back on the Dodgers, and suddenly this isn’t a funeral anymore, it’s a dog fight.

My Thoughts

Tonight is going to tell us a lot about the future of the Philadelphia Phillies. I do believe that if they manage to win tonight, then this series will go the full five games and we’ll have a fighting chance to advance to the NLCS on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.

For now, all that matters is tonight. Aaron Nola in Los Angeles. For All Things Holy.

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