Both the St. Louis-Chicago and the Los Angeles-New York National League Division Series are going to a crucial Game 4! The Cards and the Dodgers were favored to win their respective series, but find themselves trailing 2-1 with an elimination game on the road looming ahead. Can either (or both) of them force a winner-take-all Game 5?
Get more info on today’s big matchups. Read what the experts have to say about the 2015 MLB Postseason with our experts picks and predictions. You can also check out our writer’s predictions for the 2015 NLDS.
[sc:MLBArticles ]NLDS Game 4 Preview
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Chicago Cubs
Where: Wrigley Field, Chicago
When: Tuesday, October 13, 4:37 PM ET
Line: St. Louis Cardinals at Chicago Cubs – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: TBS
A thrilling Game 3 of the NLDS between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs proved that even ace Jake Arrieta is human, giving up four earned runs in the crucial 8-6 win for the series lead on Monday. Thankfully, the Cubs’ bats were on fire, with six homers spread evenly between Dexter Fowler, Starlin Castro, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Jorge Soler and Kyle Schwarber.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Fowler, Castro, Bryant, Rizzo and Soler went a combined 0 for 14 against Cards starter John Lackey (1-0 0.00 ERA) in the first game of the series. But that came in St. Louis against a fully-rested Lackey. The Cards ace will be on short rest (three days) for his Game 4 start; he is 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA in his regular season career on short rest. But Lackey is 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA in the postseason in such cases, including a Game 7 World Series win in his rookie season in 2002.
Meanwhile, the Cubs will counter with Jason Hammel, who hasn’t exactly looked too good against the Cardinals. He went 1-1 with a 5.73 ERA in three regular season starts against Chicago’s NL Central rivals. However, he may only need a relatively decent start on Tuesday, especially considering how good the Cubs have been at the plate. Chicago has scored 14 combined runs in its last two games in the NLDS.
Soler has been a solid pinch-hitter this postseason, going 4 for 4 with two homers, four RBIs and five walks. Schwarber has hit safely in the three games he started in, going five for nine with two homers and four RIBs.
The Cubs have won three of their last four home games against the Cards.
Writer’s Prediction
The Cubs advance to the NLCS after another big game at the plate.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. New York Mets
Where: Citi Field, New York
When: Tuesday, October 13, 8:07 PM ET
Line: Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets – view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: TBS
With a booming 13-7 victory in Game 3 on Monday night, the New York Mets need just one more game to advance to the NLCS. Their chances of advancing has even gotten better considering how well they fared against Dodger ace Clayton Kershaw (0-1, 4.05 ERA) in Game 1.
Playoff Kershaw is very much different from his regular season self. He’s lost five straight postseason starts (0-5 with a 6.92 ERA) dating back to the NLCS in 2013. Kershaw allowed three earned runs on four hits in Game 1, including a rare homer, but he did still manage to strikeout 11 New York batters.
The Mets’ Curtis Granderson and Daniel Murphy should produce timely hits in Game 4. Granderson drove in a Mets postseason record five runs Monday night, while Murphy hit that one solo homer that Kershaw gave up in Game 1. Furthermore, slugger Yoenis Cespedes is starting to gain some steam himself, going 3 for 5 with a homer and three RBIs and in Game 3.
Having the Mets producing runs at the plate should give Game 4 starter in rookie Steven Matz less pressure to deal with in his first ever playoff start. Matz was dominant in his only matchup against the Dodgers in the regular season, pitching six shutout innings, and allowed just two hits and fanned eight in an 8-0 win at Dodger Stadium in July.
The Mets have won four of their last five against the Dodgers.
Writer’s Prediction
The Mets close out the series as Kershaw continues his postseason struggles.
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