LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers are still just one win away from punching their ticket to the National League Championship Series, but the Phillies have made things much more interesting.
L.A. was able to nullify Philadelphia’s home-field advantage by pulling off a pair of wins at a hostile Citizens Bank Park, but fell short of the sweep in its return home to Dodger Stadium on Wednesday.
A big part of the Phillies’ success in Game 3: The top three of Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper came alive at the plate after the Dodgers had been able to limit their damage earlier in the series.
The Dodgers hold a 2-1 lead as they look to successfully defend their World Series title. The Phillies will need to stave off elimination once again in the hopes of avoiding a second straight exit in the NLDS.
Here’s everything you need to know about Game 4:
When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 4 is on Thursday, with first pitch scheduled for 6:08 p.m. ET/3:08 p.m. PT on TBS, truTV and HBO Max. All series are available in the US on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games also are available live internationally, although not in Canada. Sportsnet is MLB’s exclusive English language broadcaster in Canada for every Postseason game, while TVA Sports will be covering the entire AL Postseason and the World Series in French and Broadcaster RDS will cover the entire NL Postseason in French.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Glasnow didn’t pitch in last year’s postseason run en route to the Dodgers’ title due to a season-ending injury. This year, he got his feet wet with 1 2/3 scoreless innings in relief in Game 1 ahead of what he’s been waiting for: his first postseason start as a Dodger.
Even though he pitched earlier in the series, Glasnow is expected to be full-go in Game 4. Glasnow missed a chunk of the regular season due to inflammation in his right shoulder, but he rose to the occasion while healthy. After returning from the IL, Glasnow posted a 2.86 ERA in 13 starts.
Sánchez cruised through five scoreless innings in Game 1 before running into some trouble in the sixth. Still, he allowed just two runs off four hits over 5 2/3 innings while striking out eight. The left-hander had a Cy Young-caliber regular season, ranking second in innings (202), third in ERA (2.50), fourth in WHIP (1.06) and fifth in strikeouts (212) among NL pitchers.
What might the starting lineups look like?
Dodgers: The Dodgers will likely roll out a lineup similar to the one they used in Game 1 vs. Sánchez, with the addition of Will Smith. Max Muncy will be out of the starting lineup with a left-hander on the mound, but he will probably be one of the first bats used off the bench.
Phillies: With Harrison Bader continuing to nurse a hamstring strain, the Phillies will likely roll with the same lineup they used in their Game 3 victory. In the unlikely event that Bader is cleared, he would start in center field with Brandon Marsh in left and Max Kepler in right.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Dodgers: While the Dodgers needed to use four relievers in Game 3, they were able to stay away from their most trusted leverage arms: Roki Sasaki, Alex Vesia and Emmet Sheehan. Roberts has stopped short of naming Sasaki the Dodgers’ new closer, but the rookie converted the save in each of the first two Division Series games. On the other hand, the team’s veteran arms — such as Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen — struggled during the regular season. Scott was away from the team for personal reasons for Game 3, and it’s unclear if he’ll return for Game 4.
Phillies: By pulling away late in Game 3, the Phillies will have a fully rested bullpen in what figures to once again be an all-hands-on-deck situation with their season on the line. Jhoan Duran, who was warming in the bullpen in the seventh inning in Game 3 before the Phils blew it open, could be called upon for more than three outs if Philadelphia has a late lead. Lefty Matt Strahm and righty Orion Kerkering figure to continue soaking up the high-leverage spots ahead of Duran, with righty David Robertson and lefty Tanner Banks potentially holding down the middle innings.
Dodgers: Smith, who is dealing with a hairline fracture in his right hand, made his first start this postseason in Game 3 and should be able to start behind the plate going forward. Edman will have to continue to manage his right ankle, which landed him on the IL twice earlier this year.
Phillies: Bader figures to again be limited to pinch-hit duties as he continues to deal with the hamstring injury he sustained in Game 1. Aside from Bader, the biggest injury for the Phillies is obviously ace Zack Wheeler, who will miss the postseason after undergoing thoracic outlet decompression surgery on Sept. 23 in St. Louis.
Who is hot and who is not?
Dodgers: “October Kiké” is back in full force, as he has gone 6-for-18 (.333) and knocked in four runs. Betts has carried his hot end to the regular season into the postseason, going 9-for-22 (.409).
Meanwhile, Pages is just 1-for-19 (.053) overall. He was replaced by a pinch-hitter in a decision that did not seem to be matchup-related in Game 3, but the Dodgers have few viable options in center field other than him. Ohtani has also struggled at the plate this series, striking out in seven of his 15 plate appearances.
Phillies: Schwarber, Turner and Harper all broke out of their respective slumps in a big way in Game 3. After combining to go just 2-for-21 in the first two games of the NLDS, all three had multiple hits in Game 3, including a multi-homer game from Schwarber.
Anything else fans might want to know?
