The National League Championship Series begins with Game 1 between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park. The D-backs earned their place in the NLCS by beating the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card Series and Los Angeles Dodgers in the Division Series. The Phillies ousted the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves.
The Phillies won the season series 4-3 against the D-backs and outscored them 44-34, although the games were closer than the score indicates. Five of the seven games were decided by one run and another by three runs. A lopsided 15-3 blowout win by the Phillies distorts the run differential. Philadelphia had a better record (90-72 vs. 84-78) and run differential (plus-81 vs. minus-15) during the regular season, but regular season outcomes hold little weight now.
You can view the full postseason schedule by clicking here, and here’s the 2023 playoff bracket. Now, let’s dive into the key details for the NLCS.
How to watch Game 1
Date: Monday, Oct. 16 | Time: 8:07 p.m.
Location: Citizens Bank Park (Philadelphia, PA)
TV channel: TBS | Live stream: TBS app
Starting pitchers: RHP Zac Gallen (17-9, 3.47 ERA) vs. RHP Zack Wheeler (13-6, 3.61 ERA)
Live updates: Follow along
Phillies vs. D-backs odds
Series odds: PHI -170 | ARI +150
Game 1 odds: PHI -170 | ARI +143 | O/U: 7.5
Preview
The Phillies haven’t confirmed their rotation order yet, but Game 1 will feature aces Zac Gallen and Zack Wheeler. It’s always exciting when aces go head-to-head in Game 1. For the D-backs to win the series, they must claim at least one game at Citizens Bank Park and must win a game started by Wheeler or Aaron Nola. That’s the math they have to crack. A strong performance in Game 1 could set the tone for the series. Keep an eye on Arizona’s running game – they ranked second with 166 stolen bases this season (with an impressive 86% success rate), and Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto only threw out 19% of basestealers this year, below the league average. The D-backs could exploit this weakness on the bases in Game 1 and throughout the series.
Prediction
Wheeler’s dominating pitching overwhelms the D-backs, while Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos deliver big hits that propel the Phillies to a comfortable-ish Game 1 victory. Pick: Phillies 5, D-backs 2.