clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Dodgers try to ride momentum into Game 4

Rich Hill will go against Eduardo Rodríguez

If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

MLB: World Series-Boston Red Sox at Los Angeles Dodgers Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers and Red Sox are playing again on Saturday. After the epic seven-hour plus game on Friday into Saturday, the two teams will put their best feet forward at 5:09 today and play Game 4.

The Dodgers and their fans will certainly be riding momentum from the walk-off win but Boston still knows they are leading the series.

The Red Sox announced today that left-handed pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez will start for them. Rodríguez had started for most of this season but he has pitched out of the bullpen since September 20th. He did pitch to one batter in Game 3, striking out Joc Pederson to end the 5th inning.

The Dodgers tweeted out that their starter for Game 4 was TBD after Game 3 was in the books. It wasn’t until this afternoon that the Dodgers said Rich Hill would be the Game 4 starter. Not that this should be a surprise, just before the team confirmed Hill was pitching today, they had named Clayton Kershaw as their Game 5 starter.

“We were just kind of just potentially toying with the idea of an opener, and just kind of wanted to leave it open-ended,” manager Dave Roberts said Saturday. “And just after more conversation and thought, just feel great about Rich starting and going through his normal routine.”

Hill is the oldest pitcher to make a World Series start for the Dodgers since The Barber did it twice in 1956.

“I think with Rich, he’s not the most efficient pitcher,” Roberts added. “And obviously the most important thing is getting outs regardless of how you get them. But when you’re talking about potential length, that comes with getting outs as well as being somewhat efficient.”

“We’ll see how the game goes. As far as getting 27 outs, I know we have enough in the bullpen to do that.”

The Red Sox shuffled things a bit with their lineup today, they moved Betts to center field and Martinez to right field. Jackie Bradley Jr. sits and Andrew Benintendi will start in left field. Ian Kinsler also sits against the left-handed Hill and Brock Holt will start at second.

For the Dodgers, they have both Max Muncy and Cody Bellinger in the lineup against the left-handed Rodríguez. And I don’t know the last time you went around the horn with a lineup featuring 1B, 2B, 3B and SS in your top four spots.

There’s an old baseball proverb that momentum is as good as your next day’s starter, both teams will be hoping for some quality if not quantity tonight from their starters.

Starting lineups

Pos Red Sox Pos Dodgers
Pos Red Sox Pos Dodgers
CF Betts 1B Freese
LF Benintendi (L) 2B Muncy (L)
1B Pearce 3B Turner
RF Martinez SS Machado
SS Bogaerts CF Bellinger (L)
3B Nuñéz RF Puig
2B Holt (L) LF Taylor
C Vásquez C Barnes
P Rodríguez (L) P Hill (L)
Game Time: 5:09 p.m./TV: FOX

World Series Game 4 TV & streaming info

  • Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
  • Time: 5:09 p.m. PT
  • TV: FOX
  • Streaming: fuboTV