Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson defied expectations when he announced that Aaron Nola, not Ranger Suarez, will start Game 3 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium.
Nola has a 5-4 record, 4.02 ERA, and 1.17 WHIP in 10 career postseason games. The veteran right-hander is 1-2 with a 6.53 ERA on the road come October, however, while Suarez is coming off a career year: a 12-8 record and 3.20 ERA in 157.1 innings over 26 starts.
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In 17.1 career postseason innings away from Citizens Bank Park, Suarez has 25 strikeouts and a 0.52 ERA. Yet the left-hander also took a 106-mph comebacker off his leg in his final start of the regular season. Suárez left that game against the Minnesota Twins with the injury, which was diagnosed as a left inner thigh contusion.
The Dodgers lead the best-of-five series 2-0 and need one win to clinch a trip to the NL Championship Series. Against this backdrop, manager Dave Roberts has a choice.
Should he tweak his starting lineup with the left-hander (Suarez) backing up the right-hander (Nola)? If so, how?
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“You know, it doesn’t do a whole lot outside of Max (Muncy) will be in the lineup,” Roberts said Tuesday at Dodger Stadium. “(Miguel Rojas) won’t be in there. Then I’ve got to certainly make the decision on Will (Smith) versus Ben (Rortvedt) to start the game. But that has no bearing on who the starting pitcher (is) for them.”
Smith has been tepidly working his way back from a right hand injury — a hairline fracture at the base of the third metacarpal — that he suffered a month ago in Pittsburgh.
Muncy came off the bench in Game 1, when left-hander Cristopher Sanchez started for the Phillies. Kiké Hernández, a right-handed hitter, started at third base.
In Game 2, Rojas started at third base with left-hander Jesus Luzardo starting for the Phillies. Muncy came off the bench again, and drew a walk against right-handed reliever Orion Kerkering amid the Dodgers’ four-run rally in the seventh inning. He later doubled against Phillies closer Jhoan Duran, and kickstarted an electric play in the field.
“Not even just talking about the play, it was more about how it came together.”
Max Muncy says the wheel play, which the Dodgers haven’t practiced in “probably 4 or 5 years,” was one of the coolest moments of his career. pic.twitter.com/3MuAk3vPjT
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) October 8, 2025
Muncy finished the season on a tear, slashing .281/.421/.616 over his final 47 games. He hit 15 home runs and 43 RBIs during that stretch, despite making two separate trips to the injured list.
The Phillies know exactly what they’re signing up for by starting Nola over Suarez: maximum Muncy. On paper, that’s a scary proposition.
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