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It’s a two-game Thursday in the league championship series as the 2023 MLB playoffs roll on.

Will the Houston Astros even the ALCS after a big Game 3 win in Arlington? Can the Arizona Diamondbacks find some home cooking against the Philadelphia Phillies after a rough start to the NLCS in Philadelphia?

ESPN MLB experts Alden Gonzalez, Buster Olney, Jeff Passan, Jesse Rogers and David Schoenfield break down where both series stand going into Thursday’s games, and we have all the action covered with live updates and takeaways from Texas and Arizona as the games play out.

Key links: Full playoffs schedule and results

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Live updates | Matchups & lineups


Live updates

Thursday’s matchups

Philadelphia Phillies at Arizona Diamondbacks

Game 3: 5:07 p.m. ET (Ranger Suarez vs Brandon Pfaadt)

Phillies lead series 2-0

Are the Phillies as unstoppable as they’ve looked in the first two games?

Schoenfield: Given the importance of home runs this postseason (teams that out-homer their opponents are 17-3), I asked Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo if his team will have to find a way to out-homer the Phillies to have a chance in the series. His response: “Obviously with you making that statement, I will definitely agree with you. It’s like having a team full of 3-pointers against somebody that only shoots 2s.” Right now, the Phillies have all the 3-point shooters. Unless the Diamondbacks suddenly sign Steph Curry and Kevin Durant, this series looks over.

Rogers: The short answer is yes — but remember the Phillies have lost one of their two road games this postseason. Getting them away from Citizens Bank Park is Arizona’s best chance, but even that providing enough of a boost might be wishful thinking considering how the Phillies are playing right now. Let’s face it, the Diamondbacks will be more than happy with their season even if they lose in the NLCS. Bottom line, it’ll be a victory in itself for the D-backs if the series returns to Philadelphia.

Passan: Well, they are playing about as close to immaculate baseball as exists. Their offense wallops home runs. Their starters strike out hitters and limit walks. Their relievers throw gas and pump strikes. Their defense operates cleanly and efficiently. Seriously, it’s hard to find a flaw with the Phillies right now, and they’ve been playing that brand of baseball since the postseason began. But unstoppable? This is baseball. There is no such thing as unstoppable. Brandon Pfaadt could shut down Philadelphia in Game 3 or Ranger Suarez could implode, and suddenly the Phillies’ vibes would feel plenty different.

How much will getting out of Philadelphia, and home to Chase Field, help the D-backs?

Schoenfield: Well, I have a feeling there may be a lot of red at Chase Field — and I mean with a maroon tint. The “get-in” price before the Phillies won the first two games was $115 and that has now dropped to $15. Any transplant from the greater Philadelphia area can now pick up tickets on the cheap. According to TickPick, the “get-in” price for Philly was $467, so we may even see some Phillies fans taking a little three-day vacation to soak in some sun in the desert. Oh: And Bryce Harper is hot. Kyle Schwarber is hot. Nick Castellanos is hot. Trea Turner is hot. Game 3 starter Ranger Suarez is hot.

Rogers: Let’s put it this way, if Game 3 starter Brandon Pfaadt had to pitch in Philadelphia, it would likely go even worse than what we saw happen to Arizona pitchers in the first two games. He has a fighting chance at home — especially if he can get past the first inning, when the Phillies love to jump on the opposing starter. Without a true stat to prove it — other than their home record — there’s little doubt the Philly crowd is having an impact. Every fan base could learn something: There is such a thing as a 10th man in baseball.

Passan: That’s like asking how getting out of jail will help the man who yearns for freedom. For the past two games, the Diamondbacks have been playing in the loudest, most hostile, unrelenting, unforgiving stadium in baseball — a shop of horrors for visiting teams, particularly in the postseason. Chase isn’t Citizens Bank Park West, by any means, but at least every run the Phillies score won’t be followed with some ear-splitting cheering. It’s incumbent on Phoenix-area fans to give their team at least a sliver of the advantage Philadelphia fans do theirs.


Houston Astros at Texas Rangers

Game 4: 8:03 p.m. ET (Jose Urquidy vs. Andrew Heaney)

Rangers lead series 2-1

Now that the Astros have won a game in Arlington, how likely is this series to go the distance?

Gonzalez: I don’t know if it’ll go the distance, but it lines up with my overarching thought going into Game 3: that this series is far from over. Losing the first two home games in a best-of-seven series is usually a death sentence, especially in this stage. But these Astros exist in their own stratosphere. They’re in the ALCS for the seventh straight season. And for some inexplicable reason, they were far better on the road this season (51-30) than they were at home (39-42). They’re especially comfortable at Globe Life Field, where many of their hitters say they see pitches particularly well. One can easily see them taking at least two of three to send this back to Houston. And that’s where it’d get interesting.

Olney: I don’t think it’ll go that far. One team or the other will seize momentum in Game 4 — if the Astros win, they’ll run the table. If the Rangers win Game 4, I think they’ll finish it off here in Arlington. The pitching depth of both teams is going to be challenged, and in particular, so much is going to fall on the shoulders of Rangers lefty Andrew Heaney, who has made only one appearance this month. They need him to be the stopper who attempts to slow the Houston hitters after they beat up Max Scherzer and the relievers who followed in Game 3.

Passan: The Rangers still own home-field advantage. They still can finish off the ALCS at Globe Life Field. They still have a No. 8 hitter (Josh Jung) who can homer off the most unhittable postseason pitcher we’ve ever seen and a No. 9 hitter (Leody Taveras) who got on base six of his first seven times this series and stole a homer from Yordan Alvarez in Game 3. And they still have Jordan Montgomery and Nathan Eovaldi scheduled to start Games 5 and 6, a back end of the bullpen that got rested up the past two days and a lineup that has been the best in the American League this postseason. Only fools count out the Astros, but the advantages remain with the Rangers, and the odds still say this series is more likely to end in five or six than seven.

How should the Rangers approach facing the red-hot Yordan Alvarez for the rest of this series?

Gonzalez: Clearly, there is no real answer here. If there was, I trust Bruce Bochy and all of the coaches and analysts around him to find it before we do. But it’s interesting to see that, while putting up incredibly gaudy numbers throughout these playoffs, Alvarez is also chasing at a 37% rate, nine percentage points higher than the major league average during the regular season and more than 10 percentage points higher than his own mark. It’s a relatively small sample size, of course. But there might be something to him trying to force action with other Astros hitters struggling behind him. So there you go — make him chase. But you best not miss.

Olney: Alvarez is the best hitter on earth, on the moon, in another galaxy, wherever he happens to be swinging a bat. After the damage he did in Game 3, you have to believe a sleepless Bruce Bochy is going to think about giving him the Barry Bonds treatment for the rest of this series, especially with Jose Abreu and Kyle Tucker aligned behind him. At this point, the question of whether you pitch to Alvarez or not is like choosing between risking a home run allowed for the possibility of an out. Your best chance of retiring seems to be installing three Leody Taverases at the fence and hoping for a robbery.

Passan: Thankfully, Buster, a cloning machine to triple Leody Taveras doesn’t exist, because the Astros would use it to nonuple Yordan Alvarez and just pummel opponents into oblivion. For now, one is plenty for Bruce Bochy to handle. And if anyone managing today knows something about intentionally walking left-handed sluggers, it’s Bochy, who saw opponents do it to Barry Bonds 43 times in 2007. Alvarez does have a history of falling into funks in alternating postseason series, but his efforts in Games 2 and 3 suggest that is ending here — and if a leverage situation comes up (and Jordan Montgomery isn’t on the mound fooling Alvarez with Death Balls), Bochy shouldn’t be afraid to call for the autowalk and take his chances with someone who isn’t one of the best hitters alive.

Game 4 lineups

Astros

Jose Altuve (R) 2B
Maricio Dubon (R) CF
Alex Bregman (R) 3B
Yordan Alvarez (L) DH
Jose Abreu (R) 1B
Kyle Tucker (L) RF
Chas McCormick (R) LF
Jeremy Pena (R) SS
Martin Maldonado (R) C

Rangers

Marcus Semien (R) 2B
Corey Seager (L) SS
Evan Carter (S) LF
Adolis Garcia (R) RF
Mitch Garver (R) DH
Jonah Heim (S) C
Nathaniel Lowe (L) 1B
Josh Jung (R) 3B
Leody Taveras (S) CF

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Nats seek ‘fresh approach,’ fire Martinez, Rizzo

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Nats seek 'fresh approach,' fire Martinez, Rizzo

The last-place Washington Nationals fired president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Davey Martinez, the team announced Sunday.

Rizzo, 64, and Martinez, 60, won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019, but the team has floundered in recent years. This season, the Nationals are 37-53 and stuck at the bottom of the National League East after getting swept by the Boston Red Sox this weekend at home. Washington hasn’t finished higher than fourth in the division since winning the World Series.

“On behalf of our family and the Washington Nationals organization, I first and foremost want to thank Mike and Davey for their contributions to our franchise and our city,” principal owner Mark Lerner said in a statement. “Our family is eternally grateful for their years of dedication to the organization, including their roles in bringing a World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.

“While we are appreciative of their past successes, the on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be. This is a pivotal time for our club, and we believe a fresh approach and new energy is the best course of action for our team moving forward.”

Mike DeBartolo, the club’s senior vice president and assistant general manager, was named interim GM on Sunday night. DeBartolo will oversee all aspects of baseball operations, including the MLB draft. An announcement will be made on the interim manager Monday, a day before the club begins a series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Rizzo has been the top decision-maker in Washington since 2013, and Martinez has been on board since 2018. Under Rizzo’s leadership, the team made the postseason four times: in 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019. The latter season was Martinez’s lone playoff appearance.

“When our family assumed control of the team, nearly 20 years ago, Mike was the first hire we made,” Lerner said. “Over two decades, he was with us as we went from a fledging team in a new city to World Series champion. Mike helped make us who we are as an organization, and we’re so thankful to him for his hard work and dedication — not just on the field and in the front office, but in the community as well.”

The Nationals are in the midst of a rebuild that has moved slower than expected, though the team didn’t augment its young core much during the winter. Led by All-Stars James Wood and MacKenzie Gore, Washington has the second-youngest group of hitters in MLB and the sixth-youngest pitching staff.

The team lost 11 straight games in a forgettable stretch last month. And during a 2-10 run in June, Washington averaged just 2.5 runs. Since June 1, the Nationals have scored one run or been shut out seven times. In Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Boston, they left 15 runners on base.

There was industry speculation over the winter that the Nationals would spend money on free agents for the first time in several years, but that never materialized. Instead, the team made minor moves, signing free agents Josh Bell and Michael Soroka, trading for first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and re-signing closer Kyle Finnegan. Now, the hope is a new management team, both on and off the field, can help change the franchise’s fortunes.

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Kershaw gets special ASG invite; no Soto, Betts

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Kershaw gets special ASG invite; no Soto, Betts

The rosters for the 2025 MLB All-Star Game will feature 19 first-timers — and one legend — as the pitchers and reserves were announced Sunday for the July 15 contest at Truist Park in Atlanta.

Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner who made his first All-Star team in 2011, was named to his 11th National League roster as a special commissioner’s selection.

Kershaw, who became only the fourth left-hander to amass 3,000 career strikeouts, is 4-0 with a 3.43 ERA in nine starts after beginning the season on the injured list. He joins Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera as a legend choice, after the pair of sluggers were selected in 2022.

Kershaw said he didn’t want to discuss the selection Sunday.

Among the first-time All-Stars announced Sunday: Dodgers teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto; Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood and left-hander MacKenzie Gore; Houston Astros ace Hunter Brown and shortstop Jeremy Pena; and Chicago Cubs 34-year-old left-hander Matthew Boyd.

“It’ll just be cool being around some of the best players in the game,” Wood said.

First-time All-Stars previously elected to start by the fans include Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson, Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn and Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Overall, the 19 first-time All-Stars is a drop from the 32 first-time selections on the initial rosters in 2024.

Kershaw would be the sentimental choice to start for the National League, although Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who leads NL pitchers in ERA and WAR, might be in line to start his second straight contest. Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler, a three-time All-Star, is 9-3 with a 2.17 ERA after Sunday’s complete-game victory and also would be a strong candidate to start.

“I think it would be stupid to say no to that. It’s a pretty cool opportunity,” Skenes said about the possibility of being asked to start by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “I didn’t make plans over the All-Star break or anything. So, yeah, I’m super stoked.”

Kershaw has made one All-Star start in his career, in 2022 at Dodger Stadium.

Among standout players not selected were New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, who signed a $765 million contract as a free agent in the offseason, and Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who had made eight consecutive All-Star rosters since 2016.

Soto got off to a slow start but was the National League Player of the Month in June and entered Sunday ranked sixth in the NL in WAR among position players while ranking second in OBP, eighth in OPS and third in runs scored.

The players vote for the reserves at each position and selected Wood, Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres as the backup outfielders. Kyle Stowers also made it as a backup outfielder as the representative for the Miami Marlins.

Unless Soto later is added as an injury replacement, he’ll miss his first All-Star Game since his first full season in 2019.

The Dodgers lead all teams with five representatives: Kershaw, Yamamoto and starters Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith. The AL-leading Detroit Tigers (57-34) and Mariners have four each.

Tigers ace Tarik Skubal will join AL starters Riley Greene, Gleyber Torres and Javier Baez, while Raleigh, the AL’s starting catcher, will be joined by Seattle teammates Bryan Woo, Andres Munoz and Julio Rodriguez.

Earning his fifth career selection but first since 2021 is Texas Rangers righty Jacob deGrom, who is finally healthy after making only nine starts in his first two seasons with the Rangers and is 9-2 with a 2.13 ERA. He has never started an All-Star Game, although Skubal or Brown would be the favorite to start for the AL.

The hometown Braves will have three All-Stars in Acuna, pitcher Chris Sale (his ninth selection, tied with Freeman for the second most behind Kershaw) and first baseman Matt Olson. The San Francisco Giants had three pitchers selected: Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and reliever Randy Rodriguez.

The slumping New York Yankees ended up with three All-Stars: Aaron Judge, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Max Fried. The Mets also earned three All-Star selections: Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz.

“Red carpet, that’s my thing,” Chisholm said. “I do have a ‘fit in mind.”

Rosters are expanded from 26 to 32 for the All-Star Game. They include starters elected by fans, 17 players (five starting pitchers, three relievers and a backup for each position) chosen in a player vote and six players (four pitchers and two position players) selected by league officials. Every club must be represented.

Acuna, Wood and Raleigh are the three All-Stars who have so far committed to participating in the Home Run Derby.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Bellinger rescues Yankees to avoid Subway sweep

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Bellinger rescues Yankees to avoid Subway sweep

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees were seemingly in deep trouble Sunday when Juan Soto cracked a pitch to left field in the seventh inning.

The New York Mets, down two runs, were cooking up a rally with no outs. Francisco Lindor stood at first base, Pete Alonso loomed on deck, and Brandon Nimmo was in the hole. This was the heart of the Mets’ potent lineup. Given the Yankees’ recent woes, fumbling their two-run lead and suffering a Subway Series sweep at the hands of their neighbors — and a seventh straight loss — seemed almost fated.

Then Cody Bellinger charged Soto’s sinking 105 mph line drive, made a shoestring catch and fired a strike to first base for an improbable double play to secure a skid-snapping 6-4 win — and perhaps rescue the Yankees from another dreadful outcome.

“Considering the context of this week and everything,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “that’s probably our play of the year so far.”

Soto’s line drive off Mark Leiter Jr. had a 10% catch probability, according to Statcast, but Bellinger, a plus defender at multiple positions who started at first base Saturday, was just able to snatch it before it touched the grass. Certain that he caught it clean, he made an 89.9 mph toss that reached first baseman Paul Goldschmidt on a line, over Lindor, who didn’t slide into the bag.

“I saw it in the air and had a really good beat on it,” said Bellinger, who went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk at the plate.

The Mets challenged the catch, but the call stood.

“That was incredible,” said Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge, who swatted his 33rd home run of the season in the fifth inning. “I’ve never seen something like that on the field.”

For the past week, a stretch Boone described as “terrible” for his ballclub, poor defense has been an issue for the Yankees. Physical errors. Mental lapses. Near disasters. The sloppiness helped sink a depleted pitching staff, more than offsetting the offense’s strong production.

That combination produced the team’s second six-game losing streak in three weeks and a three-game deficit in the American League East standings behind the first-place Toronto Blue Jays.

The surging Blue Jays won again Sunday to extend their winning streak to seven games and keep their division lead at three games, but Bellinger’s glove and arm ensured it didn’t grow to four.

“That was an unbelievable play,” Goldschmidt said. “Amazing catch and absolute cannon to me at first. To make that play was a game-changing play and potentially game-winning play for us today. And we needed it.”

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