The Dodgers lead the World Series three games to none, and the Yankees are turning to Luis Gil (15-7, 3.50 ERA in 29 starts) to turn things around for them in Game Four. The Dodgers have not announced a starting pitcher -- and in fact they have made clear that this will be a bullpen game for them.
The Dodger starter will be Ben Casparius (2-0, 2.16 ERA in 3 games). They will be happy if he pitches a scoreless first.
ReplyDeleteAnd here are the Yankees:
ReplyDelete1. Torres, 2b
2. J. Soto, rf
3. Judge, cf
4. Chisholm, Jr., 3b
5. Stanton, dh
6. Rizzo, 1b
7. Volpe, ss
8. A. Wells, c
9. Verdugo, lf
In the top of the 1st, Betts whangs a double down the first base line, and then Freeman hits his fourth home run in four games -- a two run homer that just clears the right field wall. After one half of an inning, it's the Dodgers 2, the Yankees coming to bat.
ReplyDeleteThat makes six straight World Series games in which Freeman has played that he has homered.
DeleteIn the bottom of the 1st, Soto and Judge walked, but Chisholm and Stanton both grounded out to strand them. The Dodgers lead 2-0 after 1.
ReplyDeleteLux leads off the top of the 2d with a double. But Smith pops up for one out. That brings up Edman, who crushes a liner to right. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, the ball was hit straight to Rizzo, who caught it and doubled Lux off second base. So the Dodgers still lead 2-0 after 1 1/2.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 2d, Volpe walks and steals second. With one out, Wells crushes a ball to deep center field -- but Volpe apparently thought it would be caught, and advances only to third. With men on second and third, Verdugo hits a grounder to Freeman that scores Volpe. Torres then flies out to end the inning. Dodgers lead 2-1 after 2.
ReplyDeleteIn the top of the 3d, Gil retires the top of the Dodgers' order 1-2-3. Dodgers lead 2-1 after 2 1/2.
ReplyDeleteFormer Nat Daniel Hudson comes out to pitch the bottom of the 3d. He hits Judge, gives up a single to Chisholm, and walks Stanton to load the bases. After a mound visit, he gets Rizzo to pop up. But with two outs, Volpe hits the first pitch over the left field fence for a GRAND SLAM, and the Yankees lead 5-2.
ReplyDeleteWells pops up to end the inning, but it's hard to see how Hudson could have pitched much worse than he did. He has probably lost the game for Los Angeles.
ReplyDeleteBut that's the nature of a bullpen game. Now the Dodgers have to decide whether they want to concede this game, or whether they want to keep using their good pitchers in a game where the Dodgers are down by three.
ReplyDeleteAs I suspected, Buster Olney tells us that the Dodgers probably won't use their good bullpen relievers now.
ReplyDeleteRecall the scores from the NLCS:
ReplyDelete1. Los Angeles 9, N.Y. Mets 0
2. N.Y. Mets 7, Los Angeles 3
3. Los Angeles 8, N.Y. Mets 0
4. Los Angeles 10, N.Y. Mets 2
5. N.Y. Mets 12, Los Angeles 6
6. Los Angeles 10, N.Y. Mets 5
In the two games where the Dodgers fell behind, they rested their good pitchers and got shelled. The Mets pretty much did the same when they fell behind, and that explains the scores in that series.
In the 2019 World Series, Hudson pitched four innings for the Nats. He gave up 4 earned runs on 7 hits, for an ERA of 9.00.
ReplyDeleteGil mows down the Dodgers in the top of the 4th, and it's a big party in the Bronx. Yankees lead 5-2 after 3 1/2.
ReplyDeleteYankees now have an 86.6 percent chance of victory. Once the Yankees' chance of victory exceeds 95 percent, unless it's the ninth inning, these comments will cease.
ReplyDeleteThe Dodgers are required to send out a pitcher for the bottom of the 4th, so we get to see Landon Knack for the first time in the World Series. In the regular season, he went 3-5 with an ERA of 3.65 in 12 starts.
ReplyDeleteKnack is the guy the Dodgers turn to when they need to save their bullpen for another day. So far, he's made two appearances in the post-season, and he has a post-season ERA of 15.00.
ReplyDeleteKnack yields a single to Verdugo, but gets a double play from Torres and a ground out from Soto. Yankees lead 5-2 after 4. They have an 84.3 percent chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteHold the phone! Will Smith, who has been in a horrific slump throughout the post-season, hits an opposite field homer that lands in the first row of the right field seats. Now the Yankees lead is 5-3.
ReplyDeleteGil walks Edman, and thus loses his chance to be the winning pitcher. The Yankees, who do have to use their good relievers in this game, call on Tim Hill (4-0, 3.36 ERA). Ohtani, who is 1-13 in the World Series, steps into bat and immediately lines a single to center. Dodgers have runners on first and second with no one out.
ReplyDeleteBetts's soft grounder to short forces Ohtani at second. Betts is on first, Edman is on third, and Freeman comes to the plate.
ReplyDeleteFreeman immediately hits a grounder to second. The Yankees think they have a double play, but the Dodgers challenge -- they think Freeman beat the throw.
ReplyDeleteESPN Radio thinks Freeman did beat the throw. The Umpires agree. Freeman is safe at first, Edman scores from third, and the Yankees now lead 5-4.
ReplyDeleteThat's all for Hill. The Yankees use their third pitcher of the inning, turning to Clay Holmes (3-5, 3.14 ERA in 67 innings).
ReplyDeleteTeoscar Hernandez swings at the first pitch, lofts a soft fly to the outfield, and slams down his bat in disgust. That's all for the Dodgers. Yankees lead 5-4 after 4 1/2.
ReplyDeleteNow here come the Yankees. Judge reaches on an error, and Knack walks Chisholm. Two on and no one out for Stanton, who will try to blow this game open.
ReplyDeleteStanton strikes out.
ReplyDeleteKnack escapes. He gets Rizzo and Volpe to fly out to center, and the Yankees are retired. Yankees lead 5-4 after 5. They have a 66.5 percent chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteAfter 5:
ReplyDeleteDodgers:
4 runs
6 hits
1 error
Yankees:
5 runs
4 hits
0 errors
In the top of the 6th, Holmes strikes out Muncy, strikes out Enrique Hernandez, and retires Lux on a weak grounder to second. Complete domination. Yanks lead 5-4 after 5 1/2.
ReplyDeleteRemember that for strategic reasons, the Yankees are using their front-line relievers, while the Dodgers are relying on Landon Knack. That difference becomes clear in the sixth. After Holmes blows away the Dodgers in the top of the inning, Wells leads off the bottom of the 6th with a homer to right. Yanks lead 6-4 with no one out.
ReplyDeleteThis will probably be the last game I will blog, or even watch, until the season is over.
ReplyDeleteYankees lead 6-4 after 6. They now have an 82.2 percent chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteThe Yanks send out Mark Leiter, Jr. (4-5, 4.50 ERA in 60 games) to pitch the 7th. If the Dodgers are going to do something, they probably need to do it now.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I haven't watched a lot of regular season baseball, but the umpires seem worse than they used to be on ball-strike calls.
ReplyDeleteWith one out, Leiter walks Edman, and that brings up Ohtani.
ReplyDeleteLeiter, Jr. v. Ohtani (1 on, 1 out):
Pitch 1: Called Strike (0-1)
Pitch 2: Swinging Strike (0-2)
Pitch 3: Ball outside (1-2)
Pitch 4: Ball outside (2-2). Edman steals second on the play
Pitch 5: Ball low (3-2)
Pitch 6: Foul
Pitch 7: Swinging strike. 2 out.
So it's all up to Betts, but the Yankees are finished with Leiter. The Yankees are going to Luke Weaver (7-3, 2.89 ERA in 62 games) now, rather than save him for the 9th.
ReplyDeleteWeaver v. Betts (1 on, 2 out):
ReplyDeletePitch 1: Ball outside (1-0)
Pitch 2: Foul (1-1)
Pitch 3: Swinging strike (1-2)
Pitch 4: Ball outside (2-2)
Pitch 5: Swinging strike. 3 out.
So Ohtani and Betts are blown away by the Yankees bullpen, and the Dodgers have probably lost their best chance to tie the game. Yankees lead 6-4 after 6 1/2.
Here are the Yankees' pitchers so far:
ReplyDeleteGil: 4 innings, 4 runs allowed
T. Hill: 2/3 of an inning
C. Holmes: 1 1/3 innings
Leiter, Jr.: 2/3 of an inning
Weaver: 1/3 of an inning
Knack retires Judge, Chisholm, and Stanton. Yankees lead 6-4 after 7. They have an 86.8 percent chance of winning. Knack has now thrown 4 innings, allowing only 1 run. By keeping the game close, Knack has forced the Yankees to use their good relievers, which could be important tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point.
DeleteHere are the Dodgers' pitchers so far:
ReplyDeleteCasparius: 2 innings, 1 run allowed
Hudson: 1 inning, 4 runs allowed
Knack: 4 innings, 1 run allowed
Unless the Dodgers can get something going, Ohtani and Betts have had their last at-bats for the night.
ReplyDeleteFreeman leads off the 8th by flying out to center, and the Yankees should be home free now.
ReplyDeleteWeaver toys with Teoscar Hernandez and Muncy, striking out both of them. Yanks lead 6-4 after 7 1/2.
ReplyDeleteSince I won't be saying much more about MLB this year, here are my thoughts on this year's playoffs. I thought the Dodgers/Padres series was extremely dramatic, although the Padres mysteriously stopped hitting in the last two games. I thought the other Divisional Series were mostly forgettable. I thought the two League Championship Series were fairly disappointing, unless you were rooting for the winning teams. Neither Cleveland nor the Mets were really able to scare their opponents.
ReplyDeleteIt was exciting to see the two best teams in baseball actually meeting in the World Series for a change. The first game of the World Series was as good a game as you could imagine. That game seemed to put the Yankees into a bit of a funk, and they didn't hit well in the next two games. Tonight, with the Dodgers playing a bullpen game, the Yankees were much more comfortable. They are likely going to win a reasonably entertaining game.
ReplyDeleteAfter today, anything can happen. The Yankees have Cole ready to go tomorrow night, and they are certainly capable of beating the Dodgers three more times. On the other hand, the Dodgers have shown unusual levels of mental toughness in these playoffs, so they are certainly capable of getting the fourth win that they need.
ReplyDeleteIt's still amazing to me that the Dodgers got past the Padres -- much less got this far -- without four healthy starting pitchers.
ReplyDeleteFor the bottom of the 8th, the Dodgers send out Brent Honeywell (1-1, 2.63 ERA in 20 games).
ReplyDeleteHoneywell is no match for the Yankees. Volpe hits a double. Wells walks. Volpe and Wells pull a double steal. Verdugo hits a grounder, but Volpe beats the throw to the plate. Gleyber Torres hits a three-run homer, and the Yanks lead 10-4.
ReplyDeleteThis means that Weaver does not have to pitch the 9th, and he will probably be available tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteThis will end our Month of MLB coverage for the year. We will probably have a final wrap-up entry when it's all over, but I personally won't be watching any more baseball in 2024.
ReplyDeleteThe rising tension of your comments across these great posts has been palpable, and I will say that I think I would explode if the A's every led a World Series by three games to nothing and did a bullpen game. So, anyway, I respect your decision, GoHeath, while at the same time missing your live commentary.
ReplyDeleteWhile I won't spoil the result for GoHeath's wrap-up entry, I am pleased to report that the unrevealed team for which I was rooting in the World Series won the World Series!
ReplyDelete