The Phillies need one more win. But they will have to go through Mr. “I Don’t Like Loud Fans” himself to get it. Spencer Strider takes the mound for the second time this series in game 4, with his team’s season on the line. After the clinic, the Phillies put on in game 3 if they can beat Spencer Strider for the 3rd time in the playoffs, they will advance to the NLCS.
To be fair to Spencer Strider, it was not all his fault that his team lost. He gave up just 1 earned run, 2 total, across 7 innings. The one earned run came off the bat of Bryce Harper when he deposited a ball into the right field seats. But another run scored in the 4th inning, thanks in part to his own error. Strider walked Harper, and then let him get to second base off his own pick-off error. Later that inning Harper scored the first run of the game on a Bryson Stott single. So while it is not an earned run, it was still Strider’s own fault. He went on to take the loss.
Still, even if you include the playoffs, Strider has good numbers vs the Phillies. He has a 2.54 ERA across 10 games vs them. That gets a little higher when he is pitching In Citizens Bank Park though. In Philly, his ERA implodes to 3.38. granted that is almost all because of his blowup here in last year’s NLDS. Something he has still not gotten over, given his recent comments about not liking when fans are too loud.
So will we see more of how he pitched in game 1? Or will the loud atmosphere get to the Braves young Ace? You know after those comments, even if they were intended as a joke, the Philly fans will be on him all game long.
Let’s take a look at the Phillies career numbers vs Spencer Strider, including the playoffs: