Phillies vs. Braves NLDS Game 4 starting lineups and pitching matchup

PHILADELPHIA -- The Braves didn’t face an elimination game last year on their path to winning the World Series.

The Phillies have not played a potential postseason series clincher at home since Game 5 of the 2011 National League Division Series against the Cardinals.

That all changes Saturday afternoon, when Atlanta and Philadelphia meet at Citizens Bank Park for Game 4 of the NLDS with the Phils leading the best-of-five series, 2-1.

“Even if we would have lost today, I would have had microphones in front of my face, and I would say that tomorrow is a must-win game,” Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos said after their 9-1 win in Game 3 on Friday. “We definitely don’t have any less respect for the opponent on the other side. Those are the defending World [Series] champions. [Saturday] is a must-win game, period. The less amount of life we can give them, the better.”

History says Braves Game 4 starter Charlie Morton is the right man for the job from their point of view, considering he has collected more wins in postseason elimination games than any pitcher in Major League history. He is 5-0 with a 0.73 ERA (two earned runs in 24 2/3 innings) in those games (four starts and one relief appearance).

“Yeah, we're facing elimination, but [let’s] see what we're made of,” Braves third baseman Austin Riley said. “See how we respond.”

“We've won two games in a row before,” Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud said. “We all believe in each other.”

When is the game and how can I watch it?

Game 4 is at 2 p.m. ET Saturday on FS1. All games are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV (authentication to a participating Pay TV provider is required). Live games are also available in select countries outside the U.S. For full details click here.

Who are the starting pitchers?

Braves: Morton (9-6, 4.34 ERA in the regular season) has been great in elimination games, but he wasn’t great against the Phillies this year. He posted a 5.47 ERA in five starts against the Philadelphia and surrendered six runs over just 4 2/3 innings against the club on Sept. 25. The veteran hurler surrendered a career-high 28 home runs this year.

Phillies: Noah Syndergaard (10-10, 3.94 ERA in the regular season) gets the call for the Phils over left-hander Bailey Falter, who had his worst start of the season on Sept. 24 against the Braves (six runs on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings), and righty Kyle Gibson, who had a 9.73 ERA over his final six regular-season starts. Syndergaard tossed a scoreless eighth inning in relief in Game 2 and presumably will be on a limited pitch count on Saturday.

What might the starting lineups look like?

Braves: Knowing the Phillies will likely go to a bullpen game after getting a few innings out of Syndergaard, the Braves may not go with the same lineup they have used against right-handed starters during the past two games. William Contreras seems like a better choice at the DH spot, and Orlando Arcia should be back at second base after Vaughn Grissom got a shot at the position on Friday.

Phillies: It was huge for Philadelphia that Kyle Schwarber and Rhys Hoskins put together some good at-bats in Game 3, after coming in to Friday's game a combined 1-for-34 with 14 strikeouts in the postseason. Schwarber went 1-for-2 with one walk, and Hoskins went 1-for-3 with a massive three-run homer and one walk. Expect the Phils to have a very similar, if not the same, lineup in Game 4.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?

Braves: With Spencer Strider recording just seven outs on Friday, the Braves are fortunate to enter Game 4 with all of their top relievers available. This includes both right-hander Collin McHugh and left-hander Dylan Lee, who would be used to bridge the gap to the high-leverage guys in A.J. Minter, Raisel Iglesias and closer Kenley Jansen.

Phillies: Philadelphia’s bullpen could not be lined up any better for Game 4, and that may very well be crucial. The Phils will probably have a short leash for Syndergaard, meaning they might need to lean on high-leverage relievers like Zach Eflin, José Alvarado and Seranthony Domínguez. Only Alvarado pitched in Game 3.

Braves: Ozzie Albies (fractured right pinkie) will likely not be available before the NL Championship Series. Albies’ only potential contributions now would come as a pinch-runner.

Phillies: Philadelphia lost right-hander David Robertson for the NLDS after he strained his right calf jumping to celebrate Harper’s home run in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series in St. Louis. He had a PRP injection, although it is unclear if he could pitch in the NLCS, if the Phillies make it.

Who is hot and who is not?

Braves: Matt Olson homered in six of his last nine regular-season games, and he has gone 3-for-8 with one homer and five walks through the first three games of this series. d’Arnaud has gone 5-for-12 with one homer and three doubles during the NLDS. Ronald Acuña Jr. is 5-for-11 with a double over his past three games. Marcell Ozuna has gone 0-for-8 with four strikeouts, while Riley is 1-for-12 since the postseason began.

Phillies: Bryce Harper is 8-for-18 with three doubles and two homers in the postseason, with a .444/.500/.944 (1.444 OPS) slash line. Harper and Ryan Howard are the only two players in Phillies history to have an extra-base hit in four consecutive playoff games.

Anything else fans might want to know?

In the history of best-of-five postseason series, teams holding a 2-1 lead have gone on to win the series 67 of 93 times (72 percent). In Division Series with the current 2-2-1 format, teams up 2-1 and playing Game 4 in their home ballpark have advanced 21 of 26 times (81 percent). In 15 of those instances, the series has ended in Game 4.

Philadelphia now has two six-run innings this postseason; no other club has scored more than four runs in any inning. Before this year, the Phillies had never scored six runs in any inning in the playoffs.