Phillies and Braves Battle for Final MLB Wild Card Series Spot on Day 3

Three wild-card series were settled in two games -- but one will go the distance.

After the Chicago White Sox , New York Yankees and San Diego Padres all finished their series in sweeps, the NL East showdown between the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves will be the only game on wild-card Day 3. And after two dramatic finishes in the first two games -- the Phillies' Game 2 win coming in extra innings -- who knows what's in store for Thursday?

We've got you covered with pregame lineups, sights and sounds from the ballparks and postgame takeaways as each series ends.

Key links: Megapreview | Bracket | Schedule

Series tied 1-1

8 p.m. ET

Game 3 starters: Aaron Nola vs. Ray Kerr

What Phillies need to do to win: Keep the clutch hitting going. This Phillies' core has been in a lot of playoff games -- Bryce Harper has played in 40 while in Philly -- so there have been plenty of ups and downs, but they have the experience. Following Game 2, the buzz in the locker room and in postgame interviews shed light on how much confidence and belief this team has, buoyed by a long history of being in big games. The Phils have the starting pitching edge in Game 3, and the middle of the lineup all homered in the comeback win; they just need to keep it up.

What Braves need to do to win: Rely on their experienced lineup. It's smelling like a bullpen game for Atlanta, probably with Grant Holmes starting -- so getting a third standout six-plus-inning starting pitching performance in this series might be asking for too much. The lineup has enough talent to carry this team, and Aaron Nola is notably more hittable than Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo , two of the best starting pitchers in the league this season. A little more home-cooked, late-game magic like in Game 1 is easy to imagine.

Lineups

Phillies

1. Trea Turner (R) SS

2. Kyle Schwarber (L) DH

3. Bryce Harper (L) RF

4. Alec Bohm (R) 1B

5. Bryson Stott (L) 2B

6.Bryan De La Cruz (R) LF

7. Edmundo Sosa (R) 3B

8. J.T. Realmuto (R) C

9. Justin Crawford (L) CF

Braves

1. Drake Baldwin (L) C

2. Ronald Acuña Jr. (R) RF

3. Matt Olson (L) 1B

4. Michael Harris II (L) CF

5. Mauricio Dubón (R) SS

6. Mike Yastrzemski (L) LF

7. Austin Riley (R) 3B

8. Ozzie Albies (S) 2B

9. Dominic Smith (L) DH

_Originally reported by [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/50046007/mlb-playoffs-2026-wild-card-game-3-live-updates-analysis-takeaways-phillies-braves)._