Phillies vs. Diamondbacks NLCS Game 2 Starting Pitcher Matchup - October 17

Updated Oct. 17, 2023 5:44 p.m. ET

Data Skrive

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks square off in Game 2 of the NLCS on Tuesday at 8:07 PM ET at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies have a 1-0 series lead.

Learn more about this Phillies vs. Diamondbacks matchup on Fox Sports.

The probable starters are Aaron Nola (12-9, 4.46 ERA) for the Phillies against Merrill Kelly (12-8, 3.29 ERA) for the Diamondbacks.

Phillies Probable Starter: Aaron Nola

Nola (12-9) gets the starting nod for the Phillies in his 33rd start of the season. He has a 4.46 ERA in 193 2/3 innings pitched, with 202 strikeouts.
His last appearance came on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves, when the right-hander tossed 5 2/3 innings, surrendering two earned runs while giving up six hits.
In 32 games this season, the 30-year-old has put up a 4.46 ERA and 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings, while giving up a batting average of .240 to his opponents.
Nola has 15 quality starts under his belt this year.
Nola will look to prolong a five-game streak of going five or more innings (he's averaging six frames per appearance).
He has held his opponents without an earned run in three of his 32 appearances this season.
He will face a Diamondbacks offense that ranks 17th in MLB with 1359 total hits (on a .250 batting average). The squad also slugs a collective .408 (17th in MLB) with 166 total home runs (22nd in MLB).
Nola has thrown 6 2/3 innings, giving up four earned runs on six hits while striking out nine against the Diamondbacks this season.
This season, the 30-year-old ranks 35th in ERA (4.46), 16th in WHIP (1.151), and 17th in K/9 (9.4) among qualifying pitchers.

Nola's Game Props

Strikeouts Prop: Over/Under 5.5 (Over Odds: -135)
Hits Prop: Over/Under 3.5 (Over Odds: -179)

Nola's Recent Appearances

Opponent	Date	IP	H	R	ER	K	BB
vs. Braves	Oct. 11	5.2	6	2	2	9	1
vs. Marlins	Oct. 4	7.0	3	0	0	3	1
vs. Pirates	Sep. 26	6.2	4	1	1	8	0
at Braves	Sep. 20	6.0	6	2	2	8	0
at Cardinals	Sep. 15	4.2	7	3	2	1	1

Diamondbacks Probable Starter: Merrill Kelly

The Diamondbacks will hand the ball to Kelly (12-8) for his 31st start of the season.
The right-hander's last start was on Sunday, Oct. 8, when he tossed 6 1/3 innings without allowing a run on three hits in a matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 35-year-old has pitched in 30 games this season with an ERA of 3.29 and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings, with an opponent batting average of .222.
He's looking to extend his two-game quality start streak.
Kelly has pitched five or more innings in 30 straight games and will look to extend that streak.
He has finished three appearances without allowing an earned run in 30 chances this season.
The Phillies rank eighth in MLB with 796 runs scored this season. They have a .256 batting average this campaign with 220 home runs (eighth in the league).
The Phillies have gone 3-for-21 with a double, a triple, a home run and three RBI in six innings this season against the right-hander.
The 35-year-old's 3.29 ERA ranks 11th, 1.193 WHIP ranks 23rd, and 9.5 K/9 ranks 16th among qualified pitchers in the majors this year.