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Desperate Phillies, Braves forced to turn to unsavory pitching options for elimination wild-card Game 3

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves find themselves relying on unconventional pitching choices for the deciding third matchup of their wild-card series. Philadelphia is bypassing ace Zack Wheeler on short rest, opting instead to start Aaron Nola, whose regular season concluded with a 7-12 record and a 4.67 ERA.

Wheeler was forced into action Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays to secure a playoff berth, leaving him unavailable for regular rest. Meanwhile, Atlanta counters by deploying relief pitcher Ray Kerr to begin the contest, a strategy intended to minimize the exposure of starter Grant Holmes to the top of the Philadelphia batting order a second time.

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