Alek Thomas absent for Arizona Thursday in Game 3

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Alek Thomas is not in the lineup for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday against left-hander Ranger Suarez and the Philadelphia Phillies.

What It Means:

The left-handed hitting Thomas will take a seat against the Rangers' southpaw. Tommy Pham will join Corbin Carroll and Lourdes Gurriel in the Diamondbacks' outfield on Thursday while Evan Longoria will serve as the designated hitter. Emmanuel Rivera will start on third base and bat eighth.

numberFire’s models project Pham ($3,300) for 9.7 FanDuel points on Thursday. Per our MLB Heat Map, the Diamondbacks have the lowest implied total today (4.33) and the game total is 9.0. Suarez has allowed just 13 hits and 4 runs, while recording 19 strikeouts, across 23 1/3 innings in seven playoff games the past two seasons. In the last round against the Atlanta Braves, the lefty threw 8 2/3 innings of one-run ball over two starts.

Source: MLB.com