Freddie Freeman not in the starting lineup for Game 4
Freddie Freeman was not in the Dodgers starting lineup for Game 4 of the NLCS, set to miss just his second game of the playoffs while continuing to battle a sprained ankle.
With Freeman out, the Dodgers moved Max Muncy from third to first base, and Kiké Hernández from center field to third.
Andy Pages entered the lineup as the new center fielder. Chris Taylor also replaced Gavin Lux at second base, giving the Dodgers a right-handed-heavy lineup against Mets left-handed starter Jose Quintana.
Full lineup below:
After a season full of lessons, Walker Buehler adapting to his post-Butane era
NEW YORK — Walker Buehler held his glove up to his chest and screamed into the October night.
Bases loaded, two outs, full count and Buehler had struck out Francisco Lindor with … a curveball?
On what turned out to be the most important pitch in an 8-0 victory over the New York Mets in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, Buehler revealed the kind of pitcher he could be moving forward.
By contributing four scoreless innings in a win that resulted in a two-games-to-one series lead for the Dodgers, Buehler demonstrated the gradual transformation he made over the most testing season of his career.
Nothing encapsulated Buehler’s evolution as much as his second-inning strikeout of Lindor, which preserved a two-run lead.
Kiké Hernández adds another homer to impressive October résumé
NEW YORK — A stiff breeze with gusts up to 16 mph blew from left field to right field in chilly Citi Field on Wednesday night, knocking down a pair of Francisco Lindor drives that died on the warning track in center field in the first inning and left field in the fifth, and a 388-foot Mark Vientos drive that fizzled at the center-field wall in the fifth.
So even though Dodgers utility man Kiké Hernández felt like he barreled up a cut fastball from New York Mets reliever Reed Garrett in the top of the sixth, sending a high-arcing drive to deep left field, there was no guarantee that what looked like a sure home run off his bat would leave the yard.
Only when the ball cleared the glove of leaping left fielder Brandon Nimmo and settled into the first row of seats above the wall was Hernández assured of a two-run blast that turned a two-run lead into a four-run lead, providing much-needed breathing room in the Dodgers’ 8-0 National League Championship Series Game 3 victory .
Dodgers spent $1 billion on Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It’s payoff time
NEW YORK — This could be the night the Dodgers truly reap a return on investment.
Not in the gift shop. Not in advertising sales. Not in international tourism. That is all secondary to the product on the field.
The Dodgers lavished a billion dollars upon Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for moments like these. If they win Thursday, with Yamamoto pitching and Ohtani sparking the offense, the Dodgers will be one victory from the World Series.
“If those two guys are going, it’s going to be tough,” Dodgers infielder Max Muncy said.
For the New York Mets, he meant, as if the Dodgers have not been tough enough on the Mets in this National League Championship Series. The series lead — 2-1, in favor of the Dodgers — does not feel nearly as imposing as the the series itself.
Dodgers follow their October script to perfection in NLCS Game 3 win
NEW YORK — Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers president of baseball operations, often refers to the playoffs as “the theater of October.”
But when his team executes its preferred postseason game script, it can suck all the theatrics right out of the equation.
In a pivotal Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday night, that’s exactly what happened in the Dodgers’ 8-0 win over the New York Mets.
They caught an early lead from their lineup. They got a solid, albeit short outing from their starter. And then they called upon a parade of dominant relievers from the bullpen, racking up nine more zeroes as much of the Citi Field crowd headed for the exits early.
Dodgers vs. Mets: How to watch and betting odds for Game 4
The Dodgers continue the postseason Thursday when they face the New York Mets in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Citi Field in New York. The Dodgers lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
The game is scheduled to start at 5:08 p.m. PDT and will air on FS1 and Fox Deportes. Radio broadcasts of the game will be on 570 AM and 1020 AM (Español) in the Los Angeles area.
Here are the betting odds for Game 4:
Here’s the TV schedule for the remaining games in the series (all times Pacific):
Friday: Game 5 — Dodgers at New York Mets, 2:08 p.m. | FS1, FOXD
*Sunday: Game 6 — New York Mets at Dodgers, 5:08 p.m. | FS1, FOXD
*Monday: Game 7 — New York Mets at Dodgers, 5:08 p.m. | Fox, FS1, FOXD
*—if necessary