LOS ANGELES -- Don’t try harder. Trust harder.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson thought about the things he might say to his team before Game 3 of the NL Division Series on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium. They faced elimination in the best-of-five series, but they still had a puncher’s chance to win it.
“I think instead of trying harder, you trust harder in the situation,” Thomson said before a convincing 8-2 victory over Los Angeles. “You trust that your teammates are going to get it done.”
The Phillies hatched a season-saving plan, long before they stepped onto the field on Wednesday. They would have beleaguered right-hander Aaron Nola start the game, trusting he could give them two or three quality innings. They would hand the ball to left-hander Ranger Suárez , trusting he coul