Our Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves preview covers the odds, run line, total, probable pitchers, first pitch time, TV channel and where to watch for Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series on Thursday, October 1, 2026. The No. 6-seeded Philadelphia Phillies (88-74) and the No. 3-seeded Atlanta Braves (94-68) meet in a winner-take-all Game 3 at Truist Park in Atlanta, Ga., with the best-of-three series tied 1-1 after Game 2. First pitch is 8:00 PM ET. TV: NBC / Peacock (Universo in Spanish).
Wild Card storyline: Atlanta won Tuesday’s opener 5-3 on Austin Riley’s three-run homer in the eighth. Philadelphia answered Wednesday with a 4-3, 10-inning win: Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper hit back-to-back homers in the eighth to tie it, and Alec Bohm homered in the 10th. Game 3 is winner-take-all. The winner advances to the NLDS against the No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers, with Game 1 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3, and the loser is eliminated. Both probable pitchers are TBD: neither club had announced a Game 3 starter, and the MLB Stats API lists no probable for either team. DraftKings lists the Braves at -102 on the moneyline and the Phillies at -118, with the total at 7.5.
Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves Odds, Run Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Philadelphia Phillies @ Atlanta Braves |
|---|---|
| Series | NL Wild Card Series, Game 3 (best-of-three, all games at Truist Park) |
| Series Score | Series tied 1-1 (Game 1: Braves 5, Phillies 3; Game 2: Phillies 4, Braves 3 (10 innings)) |
| Seeds | Philadelphia Phillies No. 6 | Atlanta Braves No. 3 (NL) |
| 2026 Records | Philadelphia Phillies 88-74 | Atlanta Braves 94-68 |
| Run Line | PHI -1.5 (+144) | ATL +1.5 (-174) |
| Moneyline | Philadelphia Phillies: -118 | Atlanta Braves: -102 |
| Total | O/U 7.5 (o+100 / u-120) |
| Venue | Truist Park (Atlanta, Ga.) |
| Date / Time | Thursday, October 1, 2026 — 8:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | NBC / Peacock (Universo in Spanish) |
| Probable Pitchers | Philadelphia Phillies: TBD | Atlanta Braves: TBD |
| Managers | Philadelphia Phillies: Don Mattingly (interim) | Atlanta Braves: Walt Weiss |
| 2026 Season Series | Braves won the 2026 season series 9-4 |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, ~10:06 PM PT. Opening line: Braves -114 / Phillies -106, total 7 (DraftKings open via ESPN, posted Wednesday afternoon). Lines move, so check your sportsbook before first pitch.
Phillies vs Braves Wild Card Series Context
Series status: The best-of-three NL Wild Card Series is tied 1-1, so Thursday’s Game 3 at Truist Park is winner-take-all. The winner advances to the NLDS against the No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers, with Game 1 at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3 (MLB Stats API, Atlanta News First). The loser is eliminated. All games are at Truist Park, home of the higher-seeded Braves. With the Yankees and Padres completing sweeps Wednesday night, Phillies-Braves is the only Game 3 on Thursday, so it moved to MLB’s 8 p.m. ET window on NBC and Peacock (MLB Stats API, MLB.com). The Braves said first pitch in that slot would be about 8:15 p.m. ET (Atlanta News First).
Game 1 recap (Braves 5, Phillies 3): Philadelphia scored first on Alec Bohm’s RBI double in the first inning, and Mike Yastrzemski’s RBI single tied it in the second. Ozzie Albies tripled home Michael Harris II off Alex McFarlane in the sixth to put Atlanta ahead 2-1, and J.T. Realmuto answered with a two-run triple off Didier Fuentes in the seventh for a 3-2 Phillies lead. In the eighth, closer Jhoan Duran gave up a single to Harris and hit Albies with a pitch, and Austin Riley followed with a two-out, three-run homer to right-center. Jesús Luzardo went 5 innings (3 H, 1 R, 6 K) and Chris Sale went 6 1/3 (4 H, 3 R, 9 K), both with no-decisions. Dylan Lee got the win, Duran took the loss and a blown save, and Raisel Iglesias earned the save (MLB Stats API box score, AP).
Game 2 recap (Phillies 4, Braves 3, 10 innings): Harper’s RBI single in the first scored Trea Turner, who had doubled, and Matt Olson’s RBI single tied it in the bottom half. It stayed 1-1 until the seventh, when Atlanta scored twice off Cristopher Sánchez: Drake Baldwin’s double on a fly ball that Harper misjudged in right field scored Sean Murphy, and Olson’s sacrifice fly made it 3-1. Schwarber (a Statcast-projected 447 feet) and Harper opened the eighth with back-to-back homers off Lee to tie it. In the 10th, Bohm hit a two-out, opposite-field solo homer off Fuentes. Rookie Andrew Painter (1-0) threw three scoreless innings (3 H, 1 BB, 3 K) in his postseason debut, and he ended the game by striking out pinch-hitter Dominic Smith with two runners on, after Realmuto won the first game-ending ABS challenge in postseason history. Tyler Mahle allowed one run on six hits over seven innings (1 BB, 6 K) in his first postseason start. Sánchez went 6 2/3 innings (6 H, 3 R, 5 BB including two intentional, 6 K, 116 pitches). Fuentes (0-1) took the loss, and Lee was charged with a blown save (MLB Stats API box score, MLB.com).
Head-to-head: Atlanta went 9-4 against Philadelphia in the 2026 regular season and finished six games ahead in the NL East. In the postseason the teams have split the first two games, with Atlanta outscoring Philadelphia 8-7 (MLB Stats API).
Postseason history: This is the fourth postseason series between the NL East rivals. Philadelphia won all three earlier meetings, eliminating 100-win Atlanta teams in the 1993 NLCS and the 2022 and 2023 NLDS (MLB.com). The Phillies are 1-3 all-time in win-or-go-home postseason games: they won Game 5 of the 1980 NLCS and lost Game 5 of the 1981 NLDS, Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS and Game 7 of the 2023 NLCS (MLB.com).
Philadelphia Phillies Preview: Wild Card Game 3
Season in review: Philadelphia started 9-19 and fired manager Rob Thomson on April 28. Bench coach Don Mattingly took over as interim manager, and the Phillies finished 88-74 (2nd in the NL East, 6 GB), clinching the final NL wild card on the last day of the season. They were 45-36 on the road (MLB Stats API).
Key numbers: Philadelphia scored 713 runs and allowed 698. The team hit .240 with a .707 OPS and 182 home runs and posted a 4.04 ERA (MLB Stats API). Kyle Schwarber tied for the MLB lead with 45 homers and drove in 97 runs, and the staff led MLB with 1,577 strikeouts (NBC Sports). In the series, Harper is 2-for-9 with a homer and two RBIs, and Bohm is 3-for-8 with a homer, a double and two RBIs (MLB Stats API box scores).
Game 3 situation: Mattingly called Thursday “pretty much all hands on deck” for the team’s third elimination game in five days (MLB.com). Luzardo, who started Game 1, and Painter (37 pitches Wednesday) both said they would be available. Closer Jhoan Duran was not available in Game 2 after throwing 27 pitches over two innings in Game 1, and Mattingly said, “We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow.” Zack Wheeler started Sunday’s regular-season finale on 97 pitches (MLB.com).
Injuries: Second baseman Luis Arraez (left ankle sprain) is not on the Wild Card Series roster (CBS/AP). ESPN lists Jonathan Bowlan (groin) and Edmundo Sosa (groin) as day-to-day; Sosa started at third base in Game 2. Caleb Kilian (oblique) and Felix Reyes (wrist) are on the 60-day IL.
Atlanta Braves Preview: Wild Card Game 3
Season in review: Under manager Walt Weiss, the Braves (94-68) won the NL East by six games and went 52-29 at Truist Park. Atlanta scored 742 runs and allowed 626. The team hit .246 with a .718 OPS and 204 homers and posted a 3.63 ERA with 49 saves (MLB Stats API).
Key players: First baseman Matt Olson ranked third in MLB with 75 extra-base hits, including 41 home runs (NBC Sports), and drove in two runs in Game 2. Michael Harris II is 4-for-8 in the series, and Austin Riley hit the go-ahead homer in Game 1. Tyler Mahle became the first Braves pitcher since Max Fried in the 2020 Wild Card Series to allow one run or fewer over seven-plus innings in a postseason game (MLB.com).
Game 3 situation: Atlanta’s top relievers have pitched in both games: Didier Fuentes (12 and 21 pitches), Dylan Lee (16 and 15) and closer Raisel Iglesias (7 and 9). They would be working a third straight day on Thursday (MLB Stats API box scores, MLB.com). Lee allowed two homers to left-handed hitters in Game 2 after allowing none to lefties during the regular season (MLB.com).
Injuries: Atlanta lost starters Spencer Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo López and Hurston Waldrep during the season. Bryce Elder (knee), Martín Pérez and López are on the IL, and JR Ritchie and AJ Smith-Shawver are not on the postseason roster (AJC). ESPN also lists OF Lane Thomas (side, 10-day IL) and RHP Joe Jiménez (knee, 60-day IL).
Starting Pitchers: Phillies TBD vs Braves TBD
Phillies: TBD. Philadelphia had not named a Game 3 starter as of Wednesday night, and the MLB Stats API lists no probable. Mattingly said Aaron Nola (RHP, 7-12, 4.67 ERA, 33 starts, 175.1 IP, 177 K, 59 BB, 1.35 WHIP) was working toward a Game 3 start, but the club met after Game 2 to decide, and Zack Wheeler (RHP, 14-5, 3.00 ERA, 28 starts, 162.0 IP, 193 K, 1.05 WHIP) could start on short rest after throwing 97 pitches Sunday (MLB.com, MLB Stats API). The AP’s Game 2 story listed Nola as the expected Phillies starter, and NBC Sports also mentioned Jesús Luzardo as a possible opener. Nola made three starts against Atlanta this season with a 4.50 ERA (9 ER in 18 IP), and he had a 3.12 ERA over his final 15 starts before his Sept. 26 short-rest outing, when he allowed three runs in one inning against Tampa Bay. Wheeler allowed three earned runs in 11 innings with 15 strikeouts in two starts against Atlanta (MLB.com, MLB Stats API).
Braves: TBD. Atlanta had not announced a Game 3 starter as of Wednesday night, and the MLB Stats API lists no probable. Weiss said Grant Holmes (RHP, 10-6, 3.44 ERA, 31 games/29 starts, 151.2 IP, 115 K, 62 BB, 1.31 WHIP) “would certainly be pitching at some point” (AJC), either as the starter or behind an opener. Left-handers Ray Kerr (1.47 ERA in 18.1 IP), who opened ahead of Holmes on Sept. 25, and Brent Suter (3.36 ERA in 91 IP, 51 career starts) are the opener options (MLB.com, MLB Stats API). Holmes made four starts against Philadelphia this season and allowed seven earned runs in 20 2/3 innings (3.05 ERA) with 14 strikeouts (MLB Stats API).
Key Matchup Notes: Phillies vs Braves Game 3
- Series math: Series tied 1-1. The Game 3 winner advances to the NLDS against the Dodgers starting Saturday; the loser’s season ends.
- Starters TBD: Neither club had named a starter Wednesday night. Philadelphia’s options include Nola, Wheeler on short rest and Luzardo; Atlanta’s include Holmes, with Kerr or Suter as a possible opener (MLB.com, AJC, NBC Sports).
- Left-handed power: Schwarber and Harper went back-to-back off Lee in the eighth inning of Game 2. MLB.com noted Lee had not allowed a homer to a left-handed hitter in 92 regular-season at-bats, and that Kerr or Suter could be used to face Schwarber and Harper in the first inning.
- Bullpen workload: Fuentes, Lee and Iglesias would be pitching a third straight day. For Philadelphia, Duran’s status is uncertain, and Painter threw 37 pitches Wednesday (MLB.com, MLB Stats API box scores).
- History: Philadelphia has won all three previous postseason series against Atlanta. Atlanta won the 2026 regular-season series 9-4 (MLB.com, MLB Stats API).
How to Watch Philadelphia Phillies vs Atlanta Braves – Wild Card Game 3
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026
First pitch: 8:00 PM ET (8:00 PM local)
Venue: Truist Park, Atlanta, Ga.
TV / Streaming: NBC and Peacock, with the same crew as Games 1 and 2: Matt Vasgersian with John Kruk and C.J. Nitkowski, reporter Ashley ShahAhmadi and Joey Votto on “Inside the Pitch” (NBC Sports). Spanish-language coverage on Universo (MLB Stats API broadcast listing). ESPN Radio has national radio coverage.
With the Yankees and Padres completing sweeps Wednesday night, Phillies-Braves is the only Game 3 on Thursday, so it moved to MLB’s 8 p.m. ET window on NBC and Peacock (MLB Stats API, MLB.com). The Braves said first pitch in that slot would be about 8:15 p.m. ET (Atlanta News First). The Game 3 winner opens the NLDS against the No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3. Check the run line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 1, 2026 first pitch, and look for official lineups and starting pitchers closer to game time.