The Dodgers entered last night’s game coming off of a huge win in the exhausting 18-inning game Monday night, and had a real opportunity to put the Jays in a terrible spot with another win. Instead, the offense was flat, providing just one run of support for Shohei Ohtani against Shane Bieber and an all but exhausted Toronto bullpen. They tacked on another run in the ninth, but overall it was a terrible showing in a very winnable game that would’ve put the Jays on the ropes.
Now the series is tied 2-2 and will be decided in Toronto, regardless of what happens today. While today isn’t a must-win game in the sense that it’s not an elimination game, a loss would require the Dodgers winning both games in Toronto to win the World Series. Blake Snell will look to lead the Dodgers to a 3-2 series lead, while the rookie Trey Yesavage will attempt to put the Jays one win away from a title.
5:00 P.M.
Los Angeles
LF
Schneider
DH
Ohtani (L)
1B
Guerrero Jr.
C
Smith
DH
Bichette
SS
Betts
C
Kirk
1B
Freeman (L)
CF
Varsho (L)
RF
T. Hernández
3B
Clement
2B
Edman (S)
RF
Barger (L)
3B
Muncy (L)
2B
Kiner-Falefa
CF
K. Hernández
SS
Giménez (L)
LF
Call
P
Yesavage (R)
P
Snell (L)
The Blue Jays essentially repeat what they did in Game 1 against Snell, which sees the left-handed Nathan Lukes replaced by Davis Schneider, while Bo Bichette starts as the designated hitter in the absence of George Springer. Springer had two hits off Snell in Game 1, so that should make things a bit easier.
Dave Roberts mentioned last night that he might tweak the lineup heading into Game 5 and he followed through on that, with Will Smith batting second, leaping ahead of Mookie Betts. Additionally, Alex Call will get the start in left field, while Kiké Hernández starts in center field over Andy Pages. Call will bat ninth and simply be attempting to get on base so Toronto actually has to pitch to Ohtani. Smith is currently more of a threat at the plate than Mookie, so he’ll look to drive runs in should Shohei and the bottom of the order put him in that spot.
They’ve scored just three runs across their last 20 innings, and are averaging just 3.75 runs per game since advancing past the Reds in the Wild Card round. They’ve scored more than five runs just once in that stretch, and required 18 innings to do so. This series has been no different, with everyone struggling aside from just a few guys. Ohtani (1.724 OPS), Freeman (.958), Teoscar Hernández (.794), and Smith (.762), have essentially been the only contributors this series, while Kiké is 3-for-16 (.188), Muncy is 3-for-17 (.176), Edman is 3-for-18 (.167), and Mookie is 3-for-19 (.158). Muncy has walked a few times resulting in an OBP of .300, but the rest of the aforementioned guys have an OPS south of .470.
It’s unlikely they win this series if they can’t figure out how to score more runs. It’s possible if they get more dominant outings from their starting pitchers, but that’s a very very difficult way to win what is now a best of 3 series.
——
Last time out, Snell had his worst outing of the postseason, ending a streak of three consecutive dominant starts. He allowed five earned runs across five innings in Game 1, on eight hits and three walks. It was his worst performance in quite some time, and also the worst outing in his postseason career, spanning 16 appearances. He clearly wasn’t sharp but managed to get through five innings while allowing just two runs, so Dave Roberts understandably sent him out for the sixth inning where the majority of the damage was done. He allowed a walk, a single, and hit a batter to load the bases, setting up a complete bullpen implosion. He couldn’t land the fastball for strikes to set up the rest of his arsenal, and his changeups caught too much of the zone. He allowed five hits on the changeup, the most any team has logged against him in his entire career. It’s unlikely he performs that poorly again, and with the way the offense has looked, he has to put together a good outing tonight.
Yesavage started for the Jays in Game 1 against Snell, and he wasn’t at his best, going just four innings while allowing two earned runs. It should’ve been a much worse outing for him, allowing four hits and three walks, but the Dodgers let him off the hook multiple times. The Dodgers started the scoring in the second inning, loading the bases with just one out having plated a run already, where Andy Pages and Shohei Ohtani failed to do any further damage. Freddie Freeman ran into an out on the bases in the third inning where the Dodgers would’ve had runners on first and second with no outs including another run already scored, while instead Teoscar Hernández and Max Muncy were unable to cash in with a runner in scoring position. The offense still hasn’t found a way to land the big hit in order to put up a crooked number, as has been the case for the majority of the postseason. They simply just need to capitalize on their opportunities.
——
No surprise here, as Ohtani would instantly become the most dependable right-handed reliever on the roster.
======
First pitch is at 5:00 PT on FOX.
