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The Atlanta Braves stand alone as the best team in baseball, and they were rewarded with a first-round bye. They await the winner between the Miami Marlins and Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series. While the shadow of taking on the record-setting Braves looms large, both teams will have to battle against each other first. Wild Card Series games start on Oct. 3; here is everything you need to know about the Marlins and Phillies series.
When and where is the NL Wild Card Series?
The NL Wild Card Series is a best-of-three series that will take place at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa. The first game is on Oct. 3, and first pitch is at 8:08 p.m. ET every game.
How to watch Marlins vs. Phillies
ESPN will be broadcasting the NL Wild Card Series between the Marlins and Phillies. FuboTV and the ESPN app provide streaming options as well.
Dates: Game one: Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 8:08 p.m. ET – Game two: Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 8:08 p.m. ET – Game three: Oct. 5 at 8:08 p.m. ET
Location: Citizens Bank Park — Philadelphia, Pa.
TV channel: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)
Odds: Phillies -200 to win the series
Marlins storylines
The Marlins were on the outside of the playoffs looking in a couple of weeks ago, but a solid end to the season gave the talented team in Miami a chance to make magic happen. Helped by some trade deadline moves, the Marlins go into the postseason with some momentum.
Josh Bell and Jake Burger were two of those trade deadline acquisitions, and both have been scorching hot since going to the Sunshine State. Bell has 11 homers in only 53 games with Miami, as many as he smashed during the entire course of the season prior to his trade. Burger is batting .303 as a Marlin and has nine homers.
Both players have brought the power that Miami was looking for at the trade deadline. This extra juice is a perfect compliment to Luis Arraez, the game's best contact hitter. The second baseman hit at a .354 rate in 2023, by far the best mark this year and an unusually high total in the era of the long ball. However, the star has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury, and while it isn't expected to keep him out of action, it is something to monitor throughout the series.
Bell and Burger aren't the only Marlins smacking homers. Jorge Soler made his first All-Star appearance en route to belting 36 home runs. The Marlins went from lacking power to now being one of the scariest hitting teams in baseball. They will need the bats to show up in order to win this series. Not only do the Phillies claim a talented pitching staff, but the Marlins ace – former Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara – is out for the season with an injury.
The team does still have Jesus Luzardo, a workhouse pitcher who will now be counted on to be the team's ace going forward. The pitcher won both of his starts against the Phillies this season.
Phillies storylines
After losing in the World Series last year, the Philadelphia Phillies are back in the MLB Postseason looking for redemption, and like last year, they have the makeup to make a deep playoff run.
The player that is supposed to make a difference this year is Trae Turner. The shortstop was signed to an 11-year, 300-million dollar contract in the offseason to give Philadelphia the nudge they need to take the next step. While Turner didn't hit for as high of an average as usual this season (.266), he still provided speed on the bases (30 stolen bases) and had a good power season (26 home runs).
The rest of last season's World Series roster is still intact. Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos are still both superstars. J.T. Realmuto is one of the best hitting catchers in baseball, and Kyle Schwarber always elevates his play in the postseason. Schwarber's 47 home runs were the second most in baseball in the regular season.
In the pitching department, Aaron Nola had a down season, but Zach Wheeler and Craig Kimbrel picked up his slack. Kimbrel had a major bounce-back season. After struggling as a setup man in recent seasons, Kimbrel returned to dominance as a closer, once again earning an All-Star appearance.
Last season, the Phillies had to navigate the Wild Card Series before advancing all the way to the World Series. The Marlins don't have that luxury of experience, giving Philadelphia a definite advantage going into the series. The Phillies have tons of talent and seem like the most likely wild-card team to make a deep run.
