Phillies-Diamondbacks Game 3: Start time, channel, how to watch and stream MLB playoffs

The Phillies will take on the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. The next three games will take place in Phoenix at Chase Field.

The Phillies lead this year’s NLCS 2-0. The Diamondbacks hadn’t lost a game in the playoffs before traveling to Citizens Bank Park for Games 1 and 2, where they were outscored by the Phillies 15-3 behind a slew of home runs from Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Nick Castellanos.

“Everybody’s feeling pretty good, especially the big guys,” Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long told The Inquirer. “They’ve been hot for a while. They’ve kind of taken on that extra pressure, so to speak, and said, ‘OK, you guys are going to ride us. We rode the young guys for half the season. Now it’s our turn.’ And they’ve basically done that, and they’ve been, really to a man, incredible.”

Game 1 of the NLCS averaged 3.8 million viewers across TBS, truTV, and MLB Network, which is down 7% from last year’s Phillies-Padres Game 1 on FS1 (4.3 million viewers), according to Sports Media Watch. This year, Game 1 went up against Monday Night Football, but the drop is still somewhat surprising, considering the Phillies-Braves divisional series on TBS was up big this year, averaging 4.48 million viewers per game.

While temperatures in Philly have begun to dip, in Phoenix Thursday the game-time temperature is expected to reach the high 90s. As a result, the roof at Chase Field is slated to be closed, according to the Diamondbacks.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch Game 3 of the Phillies-Diamondbacks NLCS:

Phillies-Diamondbacks Game 3 is scheduled to begin at 5:07 p.m. Eastern on TBS. The Phillies lead the series 2-0.

Calling the series for TBS is play-by-play announcer Brian Anderson and analysts Jeff Francoeur and Ron Darling. Matt Winer will report from Chase Field in Phoenix.

Over on TruTV, MLB Network analyst Alanna Rizzo hosts an alternate broadcast featuring Hispanic MLB voices, including Martinez, Albert Pujos, Nestor Cortes, Yonder Alonso, and Kenley Jansen.

On 94.1 WIP, Phillies announcers Scott Franzke, Larry Andersen, and Kevin Stocker will once again handle play-calling duties. They’ll be joined for three innings by Tom McCarthy, the team’s TV voice on NBC Sports Philadelphia, which doesn’t have the rights to air Phillies playoff games.

Bill Kulik and Oscar Budejen will call Phillies-Diamondbacks in Spanish on La Unika 1680 AM. A Spanish broadcast of the game will air on MLB Network, with Fernando Álvarez on play-by-play alongside analyst Carlos Peña.

President Joe Biden’s speech from the Oval Office on Israel and Ukraine, scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., will not impact the broadcast.

Phillies-Diamondbacks will stream on the Max app, but you would need a subscription to both Max ($9.99 a month with ads) and the B/R Sports Add-On ($9.99 a month), though they are running a promo.

You also can stream the series on the TBS app, but you’ll need to log in with a cable subscription.

The games also will stream on any so-called skinny bundle that carries TBS, including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Stream. Most offer a free trial.

You won’t be able to watch if you’re a Fubo subscriber, since the subscription service doesn’t carry Warner Bros. Discovery’s channels.

The Phillies will send Ranger Suárez (1-0, 1.04 ERA) to the mound Thursday. The Phillies won both games Suárez started in the NLDS, including his Game 4 outing where he allowed just one run and three hits over five innings.

The Diamondbacks will counter with rookie righty Brandon Pfaadt (0-0, 3.86 ERA), who was pitching in triple-A when the season started. He was promoted to the majors in May, but was sent back to the minors after posting an 8.37 ERA in five starts. Pfaadt worked his way back on the team in July, and has been a regular part of the Diamondbacks’ rotation during the second half of the season.

“He can work the baseball around the zone with different shape, speeds, and spin rate,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters Tuesday. “I feel like being able to do that against a very rugged Philly lineup where you can’t be predictable in one spot with one pitch because they will hurt you.”

On Thursday, Phillies Pregame Live will air at 4 p.m. on NBC Sports Philadelphia+, featuring Michael Barkann, Ricky Bottalico, Ben Davis, and former Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. They’ll return for Phillies Postgame Live following the game.

TBS has its own pregame coverage beginning at 4:30 p.m. Hosting the network’s studio coverage is veteran broadcaster Ernie Johnson. Joining him will be former Phillies star Jimmy Rollins, Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, and three-time All-Star Curtis Granderson.

WIP will also offer pre- and postgame coverage, hosted by Gregg Murphy.

Here is the complete NLCS schedule for Phillies vs. Diamondbacks. Times are Eastern:

The Rangers lead the series 2-1.

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