TAKEAWAYS: Braves get blown out in Game 3, face elimination

The Phillies swat six homers as they push Atlanta to the brink

It was Bryce Elder who got the ball for the Braves tonight, and he started out well. But the Phillies blew the game open in the third, and now Atlanta has to circle the wagons. Here are some takeaways.

Bryce-on-Bryce Violence

Bryce Harper is the Braves-killer of all Braves-killers, and he showed why again tonight. After Bryce Elder mowed through the first six hitters he faced, he ran into some heavy trouble in the third. Nick Castellanos homered to lead off the inning, which tied the game at one. Brandon Marsh followed with a single, but Elder rallied to retire Johan Rojas and Kyle Schwarber. Trea Turner then reached on an infield single to put men at the corners with two out.

You could argue that Elder should've been relieved after the Castellanos homer or when Schwarber came up. Him being left in to face Bryce Harper in such a high-leverage situation, even in the third inning, is impossible to understand or defend. On cue, Harper detonated a hanging slider, and the Phillies led 4-1. Elder was left in to face two more men, and they both reached. Michael Tonkin was summoned from the 'pen and promptly allowed a two-run double to JT Realmuto. The rout was on from there.

Explaining Philly first baseman Bryce Harper's "beef" with Braves shortstop Orlando Arcia

Nola

Aaron Nola did his thing tonight for the Phillies. The big concern for Atlanta after dropping Game 1 was how favorable the pitching matchups looked for the Phillies afterward. Atlanta's late rally on Monday helped mitigate that in a game featuring two aces. Tonight saw the biggest mismatch on paper in Philly's favor, and it played out that way on the field.

Nola went 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs while striking out nine. It wasn't total domination as the Braves had chances to get big hits, but Nola had his fastball, sinker, and curve all working and did basically what was expected of him. With the Braves falling behind early, Nola isn't the kind of pitcher to try to mount a huge rally against.

Youth Movement

As the Phillies kept cranking homers, both teams began to run younger arms out there to get them some playoff experience. Orion Kerkering pitched an inning for Philly, while Atlanta's AJ Smith-Shawver and Daysbel Hernández made their postseason debuts. Smith-Shawver, who was the other major option to start tonight, pitched 2.2 innings and flashed his arm talent. The Phillies tagged him for a couple of garbage-time bombs in the eighth, though, as the lead ballooned to 10-2.

Hernández relieved him and pitched out of minor trouble, beaning Kyle Schwarber but inducing a double-play grounder off Harper's bat. Forrest Wall also made an appearance for the Braves, replacing Kevin Pillar in left after the game got out of hand and going 0-1 at the plate.

On Deck

There's not much good to take from tonight, as Philly straight-up whomped the Braves in front of a fiery home crowd. Late in the game, after multiple derisive tomahawk chops from the Philly fans and a particularly hostile attitude towards Orlando Arcia (for dubious reasons), the crowd began to chant "We want Strider!" Well, they'll get him tomorrow for Game 4. Ranger Suarez will go for the Phils in a rematch of Game 1, and the Braves' backs are going to be up against the wall.

First pitch is set for 6:07 Eastern time, and the telecast will once again be on TBS and through the B/R Sports Add-On Tier of the Max streaming service. The radio call will be available on 680 The Fan in Atlanta, and throughout Braves County on the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.

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