Postseason Gamethread: NLDS Game 2s

There are a pair of National League playoff games on Wednesday.

The first game of the day will be between the Phillies and Braves. The Braves, who went 101-61 in the regular season, have a tough task of rallying from down 1-0 in the series. The Phillies, who went 87-75 in the regular season, appeared to be heading for a convincing victory in game 1 before an eventful ninth inning. Despite the Braves’ rally, the Phillies held on for a 7-6 win.

Zack Wheeler will start for Philadelphia. Wheeler, 32, had an excellent regular season, as he posted a 2.82 ERA, a 3.10 xERA, and a 2.89 FIP. Those numbers rendered him a 4.1-fWAR pitcher in 153 innings. Kyle Wright, another talented, right-handed pitcher, will start for Atlanta. Wright, 27, had a 3.19 ERA, a 3.89 xERA, and a 3.58 FIP in 180 ¹⁄₃ innings, rendering him a 2.9-fWAR pitcher.

Here are the starting lineups:

The Braves also made the following announcement regarding the weather:

In the second game, the Padres will try to even the series against the Dodgers, who took game 1 by a score of 5-3. The Dodgers had the best record in baseball (111-51), while the Padres got a wild card spot at 89-73.

As for the pitching matchup, this game will feature two very accomplished veterans. Yu Darvish will start on the mound for San Diego. Darvish had a 3.10 ERA, a 3.54 xERA, and a 3.31 FIP in 194 ²⁄₃ innings, rendering him a 4.2-fWAR pitcher. In addition to his great work in Japan during the early portion of his career, Darvish, 36, has accumulated 32.3 fWAR in the majors.

Los Angeles will have Clayton Kershaw on the mound. Kershaw, 34, will surely be on the Hall of Fame ballot for no more than one year. In 126 ¹⁄₂ innings, Kershaw had a 2.28 ERA, a 2.51 xERA, and a 2.57 FIP. As a result, he accumulated 3.8 fWAR, and he is now up to 73.4 career fWAR.

This game is scheduled to begin at 7:37 p.m. Central.