The National League Championship Series between the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies begins tonight at Citizens Bank Park at 8:07 pm Eastern time on TBS. The Diamondbacks are undefeated this postseason, sweeping the NL Central Division champion Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card Series, and the NL West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS en route to their first NLCS appearance since 2007. The Phillies meanwhile, return to the NLCS for the second straight season, as the reigning NL champs continue their journey to finish the job this time. Philadelphia swept the Miami Marlins in the NL Wild Card Series before defeating the team with the best record in baseball, the Atlanta Braves, 3-1 in the NLDS. As NLCS action begins tonight, let’s take a look back at the top performers from the NLDS.
D-Backs vs Dodgers: D-Backs win, 3-0
NLDS MVP: Gabriel Moreno, Arizona
Moreno hit only seven homers during the regular season but powered up for two in the Division Series win against Los Angeles. He hit .273, with a .273 OBP, .818 SLG, 1.091 OPS, and five RBI across three games. Moreno led the team in homers, RBI, and slugging during the NLDS. The young catcher also guided the Arizona pitching staff throughout the series, as in each game they only yielded two runs en route to stymying the Dodgers offense.
Phillies vs Braves: Phillies win, 3-1
NLDS MVP: Nick Castellanos, Philadelphia
Castellanos was unreal during the NLDS against Atlanta, hitting four homers in the final two games of the series to guide the Fightins back to the NLCS. Castellanos hit .467, with a whopping .529 OBP, 1.267 SLG, 1.796 OPS, and four RBI across the four games. Castellanos led Philadelphia in homers, slugging, and OPS.
(Featured image via SportsLogos.net)
