5 reasons Phillies fans don’t need to panic after losing Game 3 of the NLCS

The offense has been on a roll ... since August

One bad night at the plate isn't going to define this team's offense.

Don't forget, the bats have been hitting since the beginning of August. This isn't a new thing that miraculously started in the postseason.

If the Phillies had gone into the playoffs hitting as they did for the first four months of the season, and then went on this hottest of streaks, there would be some concern that the ride had ended abruptly on Thursday. (Although, they wouldn't even be in the playoffs if their offense had continued like the first four months of the season.)

As it stands, however, the Phillies had one of the best offenses over the season's final two months and just continued it into October. The bats have been hot, yes, but have received more attention because it's the playoffs.

The last three months haven't been a mirage, this is who the 2023 Phillies really are. Game 3 was just a blip on the radar.

Their leather was stellar

If you're looking for a silver lining from the Game 3 loss, here's a good one.

Even though the bats were quiet, the Phillies took care of the other side of the ball. From the bottom of the first, when Alec Bohm robbed Ketel Marte of extra bases, the Phillies' defense was clean, crisp and downright sensational all game.

And let's not forget about Bryson Stott and Ranger Suarez teaming up to retire the speedy Corbin Carroll and stop a run from scoring with a spectacular defensive effort in the sixth.

There was also Trea Turner, who made a couple of heads up plays at short. First looking Lourdes Gurriel Jr. back to third in the seventh before turning a key double play and then gunning down Gurriel Jr. at the plate to keep them alive in the ninth.

Johan Rojas made a great catch on a liner heading to the gap and just missed making a phenomenal catch against the center field wall.

Bet on the Phillies' experience

At this point in the season, with a trip to the World Series on the line, the smart money is on experienced veterans over fresh-faced rookies.

Coming into the NLCS, there was a large discrepancy between these two teams in postseason experience. The Phillies came in with 386 combined games of playoff experience, while the Diamondbacks could muster only 151.

The Phillies have 158 games of postseason experience just at the top of the lineup between Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper. Not to mention a couple of World Series rings (Turner, Schwarber) and an NLCS MVP award (Harper).

As we've seen in this postseason, these Phillies don't shy away from the big moments, and the moments are only going to get bigger from here.