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The Dodgers made official what was expected on Wednesday, that Hyun-jin Ryu and Ricky Nolasco would start Games 3 and 4 of the NLDS against the Braves. Manager Don Mattingly made the announcement in meeting with reporters before a team workout at Turner Field in Atlanta.
Nolasco was 8-3 with a 3.52 ERA in 16 starts since joining the Dodgers via trade on July 6, though he struggled mightily in September. In his final three starts Nolasco allowed 24 hits and 19 runs in 12 innings. He pitched an inning in relief in Sunday's regular season finale as a final tuneup.
"These guys have been the best all year," Mattingly said of Ryu and Nolasco.
Games 3 and 4 will be held at Dodger Stadium on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez formally announced the Braves' rotation as well. Kris Medlen, Mike Minor, Julio Teheran and Freddy Garcia will start Games 1-4 for Altanta.
Edinson Volquez was another option for Game 4, as he put up a 4.18 ERA in Septemer with the Dodgers, with 26 strikeouts and eight walks in 28 innings. Volquez is still an option for the bullpen, but the Dodgers haven't yet announced their NLDS roster.
Mattingly said the roster is "pretty much" set, but nothing has been announced because he hasn't yet told the team.
Another option, especially if the Dodgers trail in the series, would be to have Clayton Kershaw start Game 4 on three days rest, which would allow Zack Greinke to pitch Game 5 on regular rest if the Dodgers needed to win two games. But Mattingly downplayed that scenario.
"Right now it's Ricky," Mattingly said. "We haven't talked about that. I don't think we've ever talked about [Kershaw] on short rest"
Kershaw, who starts Game 1 on Thursday night, wouldn't mind it, though he currently has other priorities.
"If the opportunity presented itself, I'm definitely not opposed to it. Obviously I've never done it before but I've got some ideas about how to get prepared for that," Kershaw said. "It's pretty tough for me to think about right now with Game 1 coming up tomorrow."