By: Jacob Cullum
The Philadelphia Phillies look to clinch a world series ticket by beating the Arizona Diamondbacks tonight; but how can Arizona force a game 7? With Philadelphia ace RHP Aaron Nola having an elite postseason (3-0, 0.96 ERA, 0.75 WHIP) squaring off against Diamondbacks RHP Merrill Kelly (1-1, 3.00 ERA, 0.92 WHIP), the Phillies come into this game as favorites. Can the 35-year-old RHP Kelly create magic in his third ever postseason start?
The Diamondbacks come into the NLCS after upsetting and sweeping the LA Dodgers. Riding the confidence of this, they have tried to compete with a Philadelphia Philles squad that has been white-hot. The Phillies defeated the Atlanta Braves who boasted all sorts of hitting records and team statistical records. Basically, the Philles beat a Braves team that looked better than they have since the World Series win, which is saying a ton. OF Bryce Harper has looked incredible in the 2023 postseason (.343 AVG, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 12 BB). Both other outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos have brought power to the Phillies during the postseason with 5 homeruns each. SS Trea Turner has also been hitting lights-out (.415 AVG, 3 HR, 31 TB) and C J.T. Realmuto has been hitting the ball well (.268 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI).
The Arizona Diamondbacks have been led by solid pitching from starters Zac Gallen, Brandon Pfaadt, and tonight’s starter Merrill Kelly. However, the Arizona Bullpen has been elite with relief pitcher Joe Mantiply (2-0, 1.50 WHIP) and closer Paul Sewald (5 SV, 0 ER, 10 K) shutting down the later innings. With consistent hitting from 2B Ketel Marte (.372 AVG, 26 TB) and 23-year-old C Gabriel Moreno having a respectable postseason (.265, 9 H, 3 HR, 8 RBI), the combination of timely hitting and lockdown patching has provided the Diamondbacks with an opportunity to even the NLCS at 3-3.
Jacob Breaks Down NLCS Game 6
There is a major factor in tonight’s game that cannot be stated enough; the energy at Citizens Bank Park. It is, without a doubt, one of the most difficult places to play in all the MLB. In October, I would rank it as the toughest sports venue to win at as an opposing team in all 4 of the major sports. For this reason, I see the Phillies advancing to their second straight World Series. Aaron Nola is too much for the Diamondbacks to handle in such aa dramatic setting. I expect Nola to get a good number of pitches in on the mound and I think Phillies fans wouldn’t want any other pitcher on the squad out there tonight.
Embed from Getty ImagesGame 6 of the NLCS begins tonight at 5:07 on TBS.
