It’s decided. After a thrilling National League Wild Card game, the Nationals (93-69) and Dodgers (106-56) square-off Thursday night at Dodger Stadium in the NL Division Series. Both teams will feature starting rotations with dominant trios and potential MVP Award candidates that have the ability to change a game with one swing or one catch.
Game 5: Nationals vs. Dodgers (Series tied 2-2)
- Date: Wednesday, October 9th
- Time: 8:37 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: TBS
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
The Nats still haven’t come back down to earth after their come-from-behind victory in the NL Wild Card game against the Brewers. Down, 3-1, in the bottom of the eighth inning, Washington scored three runs to take the lead and get an eventual 4-3 victory. After using both Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in the Wild Card game, the team will turn to Patrick Corbin (14-7, 3.25 ERA) for Game 1. While the Nationals may have trotted out Strasburg for the WC game, that won’t be the case again. It’s up to the bullpen for this series. Daniel Hudson looked stellar and overpowering to get the save on Tuesday. He, Sean Doolittle and Fernando Rodney are the team’s most trusted relievers, even though it has been the achilles heel for the Nats the entire season.
Before Juan Soto had the game-winning hit on Tuesday, Soto had been on a cold streak. He was 5-for-44 to close out the last 15 games of the regular season without a home run, posting a slash line of .114/.339/.182. However, with an extra boost of confidence, expect that to change vs. Dodgers.
While the Dodgers have not officially announced their starting pitcher for Game 1, all indications point to Walker Buehler (14-4, 3.26 ERA). He allowed two runs with four walks in five innings. Los Angeles announced its starting pitcher for Game 4 of the best-of-five series (Rich Hill), but not the starters for Games 1, 2 or 3. Choosing Buehler would mean choosing dominance over Hyun-Jin Ryu’s consistency. Game 3 will be in Washington, so one factor might be Ryu’s poise on the road. Ryu started twice against Washington, allowing only one run in 14 2/3 innings, pitching effectively in both Washington and Los Angeles. Buehler, in his two starts against the Nationals, allowed four earned runs in 12 1/3 innings. Don’t forget about Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw in Game 2. He had a great year, going 16-5 with a 3.03 ERA.
While Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner has started just three games since Sept. 7 because of a sprained left ankle and back soreness, he’s still on the roster for the series. Shortstop Corey Seager, who had a slow start after elbow and hip operations, turned it on as the regular season ended and went 16-for-40 (.400) over the last 11 games with nine extra-base hits.
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