Embrace the Chaos: Diamondbacks vow to be more aggressive in NLCS Game 3 vs. Phillies

PHOENIX − The Arizona Diamondbacks hear what you’re saying.

They know what you’re thinking.

Yes, they’re embarrassed too.

They really believed that they could play with the modern-day version of the 1927 Yankees, no matter how intimidating the Philadelphia Phillies are these days.

Now, they have only once choice.

They can either prove it beginning Thursday (5:07 ET, TBS) at Chase Field in Game 3 against the Phillies, or go meekly home, knowing they’re done if they go down 3-0 in this National League Championship Series.

The D-backs may have won just 84 games this season, been outscored by the opposition during the regular-season, and entered the postseason with just two dominant starters, but they had the belief they could create enough chaos on the bases to topple the Phillies.

Instead, they’ve watched the Phillies turn the NLCS into their own power-and-light show, hitting six home runs and shutting down the D-backs’ offense and their vaunted running game.

Just when the D-backs had their fanbase finally believing in them, interest in Game 3 has plummeted so much in Phoenix that you can get into the game for just $15, according to TickPic, down 90% from the original price of $115. In contrast, the "get-in" price for Game 1 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia was 3,013% more expensive at $467.

The D-backs aren’t sweating ticket sales, but are relying on rookie Brandon Pfaadt (3-9, 5.72 ERA) to stop the bleeding and make this a genuine series instead of watching the Phillies rewrite the postseason record book for home runs and lopsided victories.

NLCS: Phillies are rolling, breaking records and smelling another World Series berth

"I respect the Philadelphia Phillies immensely," D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said, "but they can be beat. We have to do our job just a little bit better. We're one of the final four teams standing, and we didn't get lucky by being here. We're a good baseball team, and I think the world knows that.

"We got clipped. We got hit by a couple of haymakers by some very good Philadelphia Phillies players, and they should do that, right, because they are good players. But I believe enough in our players to be able to take those blows, come out, and play a really good Game 3 and get us right back in this series."

The Phillies have stomped on the D-backs from the first pitch in the series to the last, and have yet to let up, outscoring the D-backs, 15-3, while failing to trail for a single pitch. The Phillies have trailed at the end of only two innings this entire postseason, the fewest by any team after eight postseason games.

They have already hit 19 home runs, and every game they’ve had someone eclipsing the names of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Reggie Jackson with their home-run derby.

Their slugging percentage this postseason is a staggering .575 while the opposition's is .241, the largest difference in an eight-game span since the 1939 Yankees.

"They’re a hot team," Lovullo said. "We knew they’re a hot team. They’re swinging the bats well. They’re built to slug. A lot of their runs come via the slug, via the home run.

"We all knew that.

"We’ve got find a way to get this thing turned around."

The Phillies haven’t been this dominant for this long of a stretch since, well, maybe ever, dominating the game in every fashion.

They pounced on ace Zac Gallen in Game 1, hitting two home runs in the first seven pitches.

They were patient with Merrill Kelly in Game 2, hitting three home runs.

They shredded the D-backs bullpen.

They watched the D-backs let a harmless infield pop-up drop for a single and then forget how many outs there were in a span of two innings.

And after all that running with the D-backs stealing a franchise-record 166 bases, second-most in the majors, with rookie Corbin Carroll stealing 54 bases himself, they have been completely been shut down by the Phillies.

The D-backs haven’t attempted a stolen base, while Carroll, who has been on base three times, hasn’t even faked he was taking off.

"We’re really playing well right now," Phillies manager Rob Thomson says. "I told the guys at the start of the series if we take care of the baseball defensively and don't give them free passes, you are going to be able to kill some of the chaos that they create because they're really good at that. Running, bunting, taking extra bases, tagging up at first base on fly balls to the outfield, that kind of thing. They take advantage of mistakes, and you have to eliminate that.

"We've done that."

Really, they’ve done just about anything and everything right, playing like a team that’s destined to make a return trip to the World Series.

"I don't really know what it is, but for us the postseason is different," said Philles Game 3 starter Ranger Suarez. "You know, we're just a different team in the postseason. We understand that if you lose, you go home, and that's not what we want.

"We want to complete what we didn't complete last year, which was to win the World Series."

The D-backs, who insist they weren’t intimidated by the Phillies’ raucous crowd, acknowledge they have been timid -- at the plate, and on the basepaths. They’re hitting just .129 with two extra-base hits. And the few times they’ve reached base, they’ve never moved. They give all of the credit to Zack Wheeler for keeping them from even thinking about stealing second base, but blamed themselves for not being aggressive against Aaron Nola

They plan to alter their approach, take more risks, be more daring on the basepaths, and force the Phillies to make mistakes. It’s the formula that got them into the playoffs, so why stop now?

"I'm an eternal optimist, and I have to be," Lovullo said. "I believe in our team, and that we can compete against anybody in any circumstances. We have to go do what we do best."

The damage control has to start with Pfaadt, who was dominant against the Los Angeles Dodgers in their NL Division Series clinch, giving up just two hits in 4 ⅓ innings. He was pulled after just 42 pitches. This time, he’s expected to have more freedom. If he’s dealing, they’ll trust him to stay in. The D-backs plan to employ their entire bullpen in Game 4, so the longer Pfaadt goes, the more relievers they’ll have available.

Most important, the D-backs say there’s no panic. They went through a stretch of losing 17 of 22 games, fell out of a playoff position in September, and recovered to earn the final wild-card berth on the next-to-last day of the season.

"I feel like we've learned from that experience," Lovullo said. "We're battle-tested in that area, and we know that one good moment and one good inning, one good pitch, one good at-bat can turn this quickly.

"It's a seven-game series, and we don't have any time to feel sorry for ourselves or be curious about anything."

But time is quickly running out.

If they win Thursday, they believe they’re right back in this series.

Lose, and Game 4 maybe only a formality.

"I think our heads are still strong," Pfaadt said. "I think we believe we can do it. We’ve gone through adversity in the regular season before, and we know how to bounce back.

"I think everybody in the clubhouse feels strong and feels confident moving forward into these next few games.

"We know what we need to do."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diamondbacks to alter approach against Phillies in NLCS Game 3