When is Phillies vs. Mets NL Division Series Game 3? Date, Time and Lineups

PHILADELPHIA — The first postseason meeting between the archrival Mets and Phillies has certainly lived up to the billing through two games.

Now, after the teams exchanged wild come-from-behind victories at Citizens Bank Park, their National League Division Series showdown will shift to Citi Field for Game 3 on Tuesday night.

“Obviously, you want to go 2-0 at home, but being able to go 1-1 going into New York … I imagine it’s going to be pretty hostile there — and a lot of fun,” said Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper. “So I’m really looking forward to that.”

“Can’t wait to play in front of our fan base,” said New York manager Carlos Mendoza, whose club has not played a home game since Sept. 22 against Philadelphia. “It’s been a while. So we’ll be ready to go.”

Here’s everything you need to know about Game 3:

When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 3 will be played at 5:08 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Citi Field. It will be televised 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?
Phillies: RHP Aaron Nola (14-8, 3.57 ERA)
Nola will be looking to replicate his May 14 start at Citi Field, when he tossed a shutout in his best performance of the season. Dating to 2018, he has a 2.49 ERA in 12 starts against the Mets at Citi Field. As for his track record over the past two postseasons, Nola has been solid in the earlier rounds before stumbling late. He has a 0.71 ERA in four starts in the first two rounds of the postseason but a 6.94 ERA in five starts across the NL Championship Series and World Series.

Mets: LHP Sean Manaea (12-6, 3.47 ERA)
Since dropping his arm slot in late July, Manaea has been on the roll of his career, ending the regular season with a 6-2 record and a 3.09 ERA over his final 12 starts. Manaea subsequently held the Brewers to two runs over five innings in Wild Card Series Game 2, putting to rest some of the narrative surrounding his prior issues in the postseason. The big left-hander did struggle against the Phillies during the regular season, allowing 10 runs over 16 2/3 innings across three starts, but most of that damage occurred during a single outing in June. The other two were quality starts.

What are the projected starting lineups?

Bohm is expected to return to the starting lineup for Game 3, but with the Mets starting a left-hander, Phillies manager Rob Thomson could opt to give Edmundo Sosa a second straight start. After Sosa replaced a struggling Bohm at third base in Game 2, it’s possible that he gets another start — this time at second base for left-handed-hitting Bryson Stott. Hays also figures to get his first start of the series in place of the left-handed-hitting Brandon Marsh.

Winker could be back at DH against the right-handed Nola, while Taylor is likely to return to center field after ceding the position to Harrison Bader for a day. The top five of New York’s lineup should remain unchanged, particularly with Vientos thriving in the two hole.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Phillies: Everyone should be available for Game 3 following Monday’s off-day, but it will be interesting to see how Thomson deploys his bullpen after a rocky start to this series. Matt Strahm was arguably the Phillies’ most dominant reliever during the regular season, putting up a 1.87 ERA over 66 appearances, but he was tagged for two runs apiece in Games 1 and 2. Still, it’s hard to imagine Thomson losing trust in the lefty that quickly, so it figures to be some combination of Strahm and fellow lefty José Alvarado and right-handers Jeff Hoffman and Orion Kerkering to bridge the gap to closer Carlos Estévez.

Mets: Top setup men Phil Maton and Ryne Stanek were both unavailable for Game 2 given heavy recent workloads; they both should be ready to go for Game 3. It’s unclear if the same will be true for closer Edwin Díaz, who threw another 25 pitches in Game 2 and has contributed 130 since Sept. 29. The Mets still haven’t used left-hander Danny Young in a postseason game, but they consider him a solid matchup against any of the Phillies’ lefties. It’s certainly possible Young could get some run in Game 3.

Any injuries of note?
Phillies: Right-hander Spencer Turnbull has not pitched since late June because of a strained right lat that kept him off the NLDS roster. His recovery has been slow, but he has been on the mound the past few weeks, and there is a chance he could pitch in the postseason if the Phillies advance.

Mets: Jeff McNeil, who has been sidelined since Sept. 6 due to a fractured right wrist, rejoined the club on Sunday morning in Philadelphia and immediately began ramping up baseball activities. Neither he nor manager Carlos Mendoza ruled out McNeil’s return for a potential NLCS that would begin next Sunday. At the least, McNeil seems a near-guarantee to be ready for the World Series if the Mets make it that far.

Who is hot and who is not?
Phillies: Schwarber had a 1.012 OPS the final month of the season and promptly went deep in his first at-bat in Game 1 for his MLB-record fifth career postseason leadoff homer. … Bohm was out of the starting lineup for Game 2 after struggling down the stretch and going 0-for-4 in Game 1; he went 0-for-2 with a pair of popouts after entering Game 2 as a pinch-hitter.

Mets: Nimmo has at least one hit in every postseason game, including go-ahead RBIs in NLDS Games 1 and 2. Nimmo’s streakiness has been plain to see all season; if he stays hot, he could carry the Mets for a while. … New York has also received outsized production from Vientos, who has seven RBIs in his first five career playoff games.

Anything else fans might want to know?