The 2022 MLB playoffs are down to conscionable 4 teams, each vying for a spot successful this year's World Series.
The American League Championship Series shifts to the Bronx for Game 3 of the Houston Astros against the New York Yankees. Houston won the archetypal 2 games astatine location and holds a 2-0 lead.
In the National League Championship Series, it volition beryllium Game 4 betwixt the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies. After splitting the opening 2 games successful San Diego, the Phillies took a 2-1 bid pb with a 4-2 Game 3 triumph connected Friday night.
More: Who has the NLCS edge? Predictions for Padres-Phillies | Who volition regularisation the ALCS? Predictions for Yankees-Astros | Bracket, results and more
Houston Astros astatine New York Yankees (5:07 p.m. ET, TBS)
Astros pb bid 2-0
Astros starter: Cristian Javier
Yankees starter: Gerrit Cole
Starting lineups:
ASTROS
TBD
YANKEES
TBD
What to ticker for: Yankees ace Gerrit Cole volition request to replicate his astir caller show against the Astros, connected June 25, erstwhile helium went 7 innings, allowing conscionable 1 tally connected 4 hits portion walking 2 and striking retired 8 batters. (On the flip side: The Yankees inactive mislaid that game, arsenic tonight's Astros starter, Cristian Javier, combined with 2 relievers to no-hit New York.) After getting roughed up successful past year's wild-card nonaccomplishment to Boston, Cole has had a beardown October truthful far, posting a 2.03 ERA successful 2 starts against Cleveland successful the ALDS, allowing 3 runs successful 13⅓ innings. New York volition request much of the aforesaid to support from falling into a 3-0 hole.
Meanwhile, Houston's Javier makes his archetypal postseason start. Javier's erstwhile postseason acquisition has travel successful relief, wherever he's accumulated a 3.38 ERA successful 12 appearances, allowing 8 runs successful 21⅓ innings. Javier pitched 1⅓ innings successful Game 1 of the ALDS against Seattle, but has not started a crippled since Oct. 1. Javier replaces Lance McCullers Jr., whose commencement was pushed backmost to Game 4 aft an errant champagne vessel struck his elbow during the Astros' ALDS triumph celebration.
For the Yankees, there's nary mode astir it: They person to triumph connected Saturday. This is the biggest commencement for Cole successful his Yankees career, the crushed wherefore New York signed him to a nine-year, $324 cardinal declaration earlier the 2020 season. If they don't triumph connected Saturday, the squad should get a caput commencement connected packing up their lockers, particularly fixed the spot and extent of the Astros. -- Joon Lee
Our picks
Yankees 5, Astros 3: Like helium has truthful acold this postseason, Cole comes done successful the biggest commencement of his Yankees career, and New York's discourtesy shows immoderate beingness against Javier. -- Lee
Astros 4, Yankees 3: Runs person been hard to travel by for the Yankees and their task won't get immoderate easier against Javier and a rested Houston bullpen. Seems similar we're headed for a abbreviated series. -- Bradford Doolittle
Yankees 2, Astros 1: Cole astir single-handedly won New York its part bid against Cleveland, and for his 3rd enactment each helium needs to bash is prevention the Yankees' season. Houston picked isolated the Yankees implicit the series' archetypal 2 games, and with New York's bats acting arsenic if they'd hibernated for wintertime already, thing abbreviated of perfection connected the mound whitethorn not beryllium enough. So the Yankees crook to Cole to reason Javier, who implicit his past 4 regular-season starts threw 23 innings of shutout shot and allowed six hits. Yes, that's the Astros' No. 3 oregon 4 starter. Yes, this is the task the Yankees -- and possibly yet the NL pennant victor -- indispensable face. This is what makes Game 3 a must-win for New York. -- Jeff Passan
San Diego Padres astatine Philadelphia Phillies (7:45 p.m. ET, FOX)
Phillies pb bid 2-1
Padres starter: Mike Clevinger
Phillies starter: Bailey Falter
Starting lineups:
PADRES
TBD
PHILLIES
TBD
What to ticker for: It mightiness consciousness similar the Phillies are playing with immoderate location wealth aft beating Joe Musgrove with a backmost extremity rotation feline successful Ranger Suarez successful Game 3. But they could look an uphill conflict connected Saturday aft going with 25-year-old lefty Falter arsenic the astonishment starter. By design, helium won't spell precise long, which means manager Rob Thomson volition request his pen again aft utilizing them for 4 innings connected Friday. Piggybacking Falter with Noah Syndergaard, and getting a fewer innings retired of him, mightiness beryllium the Phillies' best-case scenario.
The Padres' unit is acceptable up amended for the adjacent fewer days, but they'll request connected violative output similar they got successful Game 2 to guarantee the bid returns to San Diego. Padres starter Clevinger has playoff acquisition but not needfully large numbers. He gave up 4 runs successful conscionable 2⅔ innings against the Dodgers successful the past circular and has arsenic vocation 5.74 ERA successful 9 postseason appearances. For each of the supra reasons, expect a high-scoring game. -- Jesse Rogers
Our picks
Padres 7, Phillies 6: It'll beryllium a chaotic matter arsenic some teams volition usage their bullpens aboriginal and often successful Game 4, but the Padres volition past due to the fact that the Phillies won't get the shutdown innings they did successful Friday's win. -- Rogers
Padres 7, Phillies 6: Just however rapidly San Diego manager Bob Melvin and Thomson person to propulsion their starting pitchers could beryllium the bellwether for a crippled that is the likeliest successful this bid to spell sideways. The Phillies person to beryllium cautious astir overextending their bullpen. The Padres, with Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola looming, perfectly request to triumph Game 4. These teams are excessively intimately matched for the bid not to instrumentality to San Diego. -- Passan
Phillies 6, Padres 5: Clevinger has been trying to transportation done a sore genu -- without a batch of success, posting a 7.10 ERA implicit his past 7 starts (including 5 runs successful 2⅔ innings against the Dodgers successful the part series). Feels similar an aboriginal Phillies pb and they clasp connected to get 1 triumph distant from the World Series. -- David Schoenfield
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