Shohei Ohtani batting fourth for NLDS Game 4
Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman warms up during the team’s batting practice ahead of Game 4 the NLDS at Truist Park.
(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
By Los Angeles Times staff
With the Dodgers squaring off against right-hander Tyler Mahle in Wednesday’s Game 4 of the National League Division Series, changes in the lineup were expected.
Shohei Ohtani slid up to fourth in the order, behind shortstop Mookie Betts, first baseman Freddie Freeman and catcher Will Smith.
Kiké Hernández stayed in the lineup, this time at second base in place of Miguel Rojas, who left Game 3 in the eighth inning with lower back pain.
Rojas’ back remains sore, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before the game, and he won’t be available, but he’ll remain on the roster.
“To try to make any decisions that would compromise his status for a potential next series doesn’t make sense,” Roberts said. “So we’re gonna kick this one to another day.”
Max Muncy is back in the lineup at third base. Full lineup below:
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Andy Pages’ clutch hit, bullpen’s shutdown effort carry Dodgers back to NLCS
The Dodgers’ Andy Pages reacts after hitting a tiebreaking, two-run single against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning Wednesday.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
ATLANTA — The Dodgers punched their ticket to the National League Championship Series with a 4-1 win in Game 4 of the division series on Wednesday at Truist Park.
The Dodgers got a tiebreaking, two-run single from Andy Pages in the seventh, Max Muncy’s third homer in four games and a shutdown effort by the bullpen.
It’s the ninth time in the last 14 seasons that the Dodgers advanced to the NLCS, and they will be seeking their sixth World Series in 10 seasons starting Sunday against either the Milwaukee Brewers or San Diego Padres.
Dodger right-hander Tyler Glasnow limited the Braves to one hit and one run in 4-2/3 innings. But walks prevented him from pitching deeper into the game.
Edwin Diaz shuts out Braves, Dodgers win and advance
Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz pitches against the Braves during Game 4 of the NLDS Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
⚾ Dodgers 4, Braves 1 — End of ninth inning
Bottom of the ninth:
Edwin Díaz took over to close out the game.
Lane Thomas struck out looking. Mauricio Dubón flied out to center. And Austin Riley flied out to right.
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Max Muncy tacks on a run for Dodgers in ninth
⚾ Dodgers 4, Braves 1 — Middle of ninth inning
Middle of the ninth:
Raisel Iglesias took over pitching for Atlanta.
Teoscar Hernández lined out to the pitcher. Max Muncy hit a solo home run. Tommy Edman popped out to the shortstop. Kyle Tucker grounded out second.
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Tanner Scott shuts out Braves in eighth
⚾ Dodgers 3, Braves 1 — End of eighth inning
Bottom of the eighth:
Tanner Scott took over on the mound for the Dodgers. Matt Olson struck out swinging. Ozzie Albies grounded out to short. Drake Baldwin struck out looking. He used his ABS challenge and lost.
The Dodgers moved three outs away from advancing to the NLCS.
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Braves coax Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Shohei Ohtani into three outs
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani reacts after batting against the Braves Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
⚾ Dodgers 3, Braves 1 — Middle of eighth inning
Top of the eighth:
Dylan Lee pitched for Atlanta. Freddie Freeman grounded out to the shortstop. Will Smith struck out looking. Shohei Ohtani flied out to center.
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Edgardo Henriquez protects Dodgers’ lead in seventh inning
Dodger Edgardo Henriquez pitches from the mound during the NLDS Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Edward M. Pio Roda / Getty Images)
⚾ Dodgers 3, Braves 1 — End of seventh inning
Bottom of the seventh:
Edgardo Henriquez remained on the mound for the Dodgers. Austin Riley grounded out to third. Sean Murphy grounded out to shortstop. Michael Harris II hit a double to right. Ronald Acuña Jr. grounded out to shortstop to end the seventh.
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Andy Pages’ single gives Dodgers lead in seventh
⚾ Dodgers 3, Braves 1 — Middle of seventh inning
Top of the seventh:
Braves starter Tyler Mahle remained on the mound for Atlanta. Shohei Ohtani grounded out to second. Teoscar Hernández singled to right.
Didier Fuentes replaced Mahle on the mound and faced Max Muncy, who grounded out to second. Hernández advanced to second on the play. Josue De Paula pinch hit for Kiké Hernández. De Paula walked and was replaced by Tommy Edman. Kyle Tucker worked a 3-0 count and Fuentes tried to pick off Hernández drifting off second. The Braves challenged the safe call on the field, but replay officials confirmed Hernández was safe. Tucker walked, loading the bases.
Robert Suárez took over on the mound for Atlanta with the bases loaded and two outs. Andy Pages faced a 3-2 count and hit a single to center, scoring Edman and Hernández scored.
Dodger Andy Pages celebrates after hitting a single that scored two in the seventh inning against the Braves on Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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Teoscar Hernández slams into wall, but Dodgers rally to shut out Braves in sixth
Manager Dave Roberts checks on Teoscar Hernández after he hit his head while trying to catch a ball at the wall Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
⚾ Dodgers 1, Braves 1 — End of sixth inning
Bottom of the sixth:
Alex Vesia remained on the mound for the Dodgers. Ozzie Albies doubled to center. Teoscar Hernández jumped against the wall while trying to reach the ball and hit his back and head before falling to the ground, wincing in pain. The Dodgers recovered to keep Albies at second. Hernández rubbed his neck and stayed in the game. Drake Baldwin flied to left and Hernández sprinted forward to catch it.
The Braves pinch hit Lane Thomas, so Dave Roberts replaced Vesia with Edgardo Henriquez. Thomas grounded out to third. Mauricio Dubón lined out to right, with Kyle Tucker making a difficult catch to close the inning.
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Tyler Mahle keeps Dodgers scoreless in sixth
Braves starter Tyler Mahle throws the ball while Dodgers catcher Will Smith bats Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Colin Hubbard / Associated Press)
⚾ Dodgers 1, Braves 1 — Middle of sixth inning
Top of the sixth:
Tyler Mahle stayed on the mound for the Braves. Mookie Betts flied out to right. Freddie Freeman grounded out to second. And Will Smith grounded out to first.
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Tyler Glasnow pulled in fifth, Alex Vesia closes out scoreless fifth inning
Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia enters the game against the Braves Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
⚾ Dodgers 1, Braves 1 — End of fifth inning
Bottom of the fifth:
Tyler Glasnow remained on the mound for the Dodgers. Austin Riley walked. Sean Murphy flied out to center. Michael Harris II struck out looking. Ronald Acuña Jr. walked.
It was Glasnow’s fifth walk and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulled the pitcher. Alex Vesia took over with two and two out, pitching to Matt Olson. Vesia tossed one pitch and Olson grounded out second.
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Tyler Mahle stays hot, Dodgers go scoreless in fifth inning
Dodger Kyle Tucker hit a single in the fifth inning against the Braves Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
⚾ Dodgers 1, Braves 1 — Middle of fifth inning
Top of the fifth:
Tyler Mahle remained on the mound for Atlanta. Max Muncy hit the ball to deep center, but it was caught at the wall. Kiké Hernández lined out to center. Kyle Tucker hit a single to third. And Andy Pages lined out to shortstop.
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Tyler Glasnow shuts out Braves in fourth inning
Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow delivers the ball from the mound against the Braves Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
⚾ Dodgers 1, Braves 1 — End of fourth inning
Bottom of the fourth:
Tyler Glasnow remained on the mound for the Dodgers. Ozzie Albies used one ABS challenge that he lost. Albies flied out to center. Drake Balwdin struck out swinging. Mike Yastrzemski walked. Mauricio Dubón flied out to right field.
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Three Dodgers strike out swinging in fourth inning
Braves pitcher Tyler Mahle looks across the field during a scoreless fourth inning Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
⚾ Dodgers 1, Braves 1 — Middle of fourth inning
Top of the fourth:
Tyler Mahle remained on the mound for Atlanta. Will Smith struck out swinging. Shohei Ohtani struck out swinging after facing five pitches. And Teoscar Hernández struck out swinging.
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Andy Pages catches fly ball to close scoreless third inning
Dodger Tyler Glasnow pitches against the Braves Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Edward M. Pio Roda / Getty Images)
⚾ Dodgers 1, Braves 1 — End of third inning
Bottom of the third:
Tyler Glasnow remained on the mound for the Dodgers. Sean Murphy flied out to right. Michael Harris II walked on four pitches. Ronald Acuña Jr. struck out swinging. Matt Olson hit the ball to deep centerfield, but Andy Pages caught it to close the inning.
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Dodgers go scoreless in third inning
Dodger Andy Pages hits a single against the Braves during the third inning Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
⚾ Dodgers 1, Braves 1 — Middle of third inning
Top of the third:
Tyler Mahle remained on the mound for the Braves. Kyle Tucker grounded out to first. Andy Pages singled to left. Mookie Betts popped out to shortstop. Freddie Freeman grounded out to close the top of the third.
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Tyler Glasnow delivers scoreless second inning for Dodgers
Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow throws a pitch during Game 4 of the NLDS against the Braves Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Edward M. Pio Roda / Getty Images)
⚾ Dodgers 1, Braves 1 — End of second inning
Bottom of the second:
Tyler Glasnow remained on the mound for the Dodgers. Drake Baldwin flied out to left. Mike Yastrzemski grounded out to first. Mauricio Dubón worked a full count and walked. Austin Riley struck out swinging to close the inning.
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Shohei Ohtani scores, Dodgers tie game in second
⚾ Dodgers 1, Braves 1 — Middle of second inning
Top of the second:
Tyler Mahle remained on the mound for the Braves. Shohei Ohtani showed greater plate discipline than he has recently, swinging at nothing and earning a walk to lead off the inning. Teoscar Hernández forced Mahle to throw six pitches before striking out swinging. Ohtani ran on the final pitch, reached second and advanced to third after an errant throw by Atlanta catcher Sean Murphy. Max Muncy hit a fly ball high toward shallow left center and Atlanta’s Mauricio Dubón dropped the ball, allowing Ohtani to score and Muncy to reach first. Kiké Hernández hit into a double play to end the inning.
Ohtani’s run is the first Dodgers score that didn’t come from a homer this series.
The Braves’ Mauricio Dubón drops a fly ball, allowing Shohei Ohtani to score during Game 4 of the NLDS Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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Michael Harris II steals two bases, gives Braves the lead
⚾ Braves 1, Dodgers 0 — End of first inning
Bottom of the first:
Tyler Glasnow started for the Dodgers. Michael Harris II singled to right on Glasnow’s first pitch. Ronald Acuña Jr. struck out looking, but Harris stole second during the at bat. Matt Olson grounded out to second, but Harris advanced to third. Glasnow tossed a wild pitch to Ozzie Albies that hit the dirt and Will Smith’s chest and Harris sprinted home to give Atlanta the lead. Albies grounded out to end the inning. Glasnow tossed 15 pitches during the inning.
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Tyler Mahle quickly retires top three Dodgers batters to open first inning
Braves starter Tyler Mahle delivers a pitch during the first inning in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Dodgers Wednesday in Atlanta.
(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
⚾ Dodgers 0, Braves 0 — Middle of first inning
Top of the first:
Tyler Mahle started on the mound for the Braves. Mookie Betts flied out to right. Freddie Freeman flied out to center. Will Smith grounded out to close out the inning. Mahle tossed 11 pitches.
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Commentary: Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s playoff dominance impresses everyone, especially Tarik Skubal
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers in the second inning of a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS at Truist Park on Tuesday.
(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
ATLANTA — Who would you rather have starting an October game for the Dodgers than Yoshinobu Yamamoto?
No one, right? And you wouldn’t be the only one thinking that.
Tarik Skubal thought so too.
When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Skubal he would start the team’s playoff opener, Skubal responded with a question.
Commentary: Ailing Shohei Ohtani providing only a wasted at-bat for Dodgers in NLDS
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani strikes out during the seventh inning of a 3-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves in Game 2 of the NLDS at Dodger Stadium on Sunday.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers have a Shohei Ohtani problem.
That’s weird because normally he’s everybody else’s problem. This man has been terrorizing pitchers and hitters across baseball for years.
But biceps, knee and neck ailments have taken the ball out of Ohtani’s hand this season. And now, anyone who says they haven’t wondered whether the Dodgers should also take the bat out of his hands is lying.
The Dodgers have an old roster. But that isn’t necessarily a drawback in October
Photo illustration highlighting Dodgers’ aging stars. Clockwise from top right: Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy and Teoscar Hernández.
(Associated Press photos; photo illustration by Tim Hubbard/Los Angeles Times)
When Dodgers rookie Josue De Paula debuted a little over two weeks ago, he was the youngest player in the lineup by four years. And when veteran infielder Miguel Rojas pinch-hit for Alex Freeland in the eighth inning, the 21-year-old De Paula and 29-year-old Kyle Tucker were the only Dodgers under 30 remaining in the batting order.
“You’ve got to have both,” veteran shortstop Mookie Betts, who turns 34 next month, said in a recent conversation with the Times. “You need experience, but you also do need youth. I don’t know what the balance is, to be honest.”
The age of the Dodgers’ stars is the most persistent knock on a group that just finished a 100-win regular season and has the second-best odds to win the World Series (16.7%), according to Baseball Prospectus.
Dodgers’ Miguel Rojas soaking up possible last hurrah: ‘I wouldn’t play for another team’
Since returning to the Dodgers in 2023, Miguel Rojas has been part of two championship teams and was the World Series Game 7 hero last year.
(Ronaldo Bolanos / Los Angeles Times)
Miguel Rojas has remained composed at the field. But away from it, on the precipice of what could be his last postseason run as a player, he hasn’t been able to hold back the tears.
“It’s been hard,” Rojas said in a recent conversation with The Times. “I’m not going to lie. I’ve been crying by myself at home.
“Every time I take a little time to post on my social media about saying thank you, it’s because I don’t want to do a full press conference of telling people, ‘Hey, this is the day that I’m retiring’ because I don’t think I’m good enough. I didn’t play a career that I’m good enough to do that. I’m not going to end up in the Hall of Fame or anything like that. So I’m just going to do it my own way. And whenever I go, I just want the fans, the people around baseball, [to know] how grateful I am for all the moments.”
Commentary: Fred Claire’s quiet impact on the Dodgers should never be forgotten
Fred Claire, left, talks things over with Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda around the batting cage at Vero Beach, Fla.
(Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers were spiraling.
Their general manager had been fired for racist comments. Their famous manager had loudly lost his touch.
They had not won a full-season championship in more than two decades. They were just a blip on a Los Angeles sports landscape dominated by Showtime.
The Dodgers were plunging into a purgatory of irrelevance from which seemingly nobody could save them.
Fred Claire, former Dodgers GM whose team won the ’88 World Series, dies
Fred Claire, left, celebrates the Dodgers’ 1988 World Series win over the Oakland Athletics with team manager Tommy Lasorda.
(Associated Press)
Fred Claire was an unorthodox choice for general manager, a former sportswriter and public relations man who didn’t play baseball beyond the junior varsity level in high school, and his 1987 promotion to head the Dodgers’ front office was met with skepticism around the game.
A year and a half later, after his shrewd moves helped turn the Dodgers into World Series champions in 1988, Claire was named Major League Baseball’s executive of the year by the Sporting News.
Claire, who spent 30 years in the Dodgers’ front office, died Monday on his 91st birthday. The Dodgers shared the news Tuesday morning.
Commentary: Dodgers’ ace-filled rotation affords them the audacity to reveal next-round plans
The Dodgers set their rotation to pitch Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 3 of the NLDS on the road.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The Dodgers are better than you. They’re smarter than you. They’re richer and deeper and more popular than you. You know it, they know it, there’s no point pretending otherwise.
So, yes, they went into the National League Divisional Series looking past the threadbare Atlanta Braves and thinking about the National League Championship Series.
Who does that? In the playoffs?
‘I was nowhere’: How Edwin Díaz regained the Dodgers’ trust in the postseason
Dodgers pitcher Edwin Díaz waves to the stands after retiring the side during the sixth inning of Game 2 of the NLDS on Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
(Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
ATLANTA — When Edwin Díaz envisioned his first season with the Dodgers, it looked nothing like this. He was going to stay healthy all year, pitch like an All-Star. He certainly was going to throw in more than 21 regular-season appearances.
A slew of injuries, with mechanical problems layered on top, changed those plans. But everything resets in the postseason. And against the odds, the right-hander is back in the closer conversation.
“It means a lot,” Díaz said in a conversation with The Times Monday. “Because I was nowhere, basically this season. They gave me the last week and a half of the season to come and pitch. And I was ready every day.”
Commentary: Rejuvenated Dodgers beat Braves, ignore awful tomahawk chop in series that feels over
Kiké Hernández celebrates after hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning of the Dodgers’ 3-1 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLDS at Truist Park on Tuesday.
(Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
Scared straight.
Faced with a reality check, the Dodgers got real. Confronted with the end, the Dodgers are just getting started.
Stepping warily into Atlanta’s Truist Park with their five-game division series tied at one game apiece and Braves ace Chris Sale waiting for them on the mound Tuesday, the Dodgers marched out three hours later on the verge of another champagne shower.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto was brilliant, showing everyone that they were focusing on the wrong ace.
‘He shows up when you need him.’ Kiké Hernández helps lift Dodgers to 2-1 NLDS lead
The Dodgers’ Kiké Hernández follows through on his two-run home run in the fourth inning of Game 3 of the NLDS Tuesday.
(Mike Stewart / Associated Press)
ATLANTA — The Dodgers’ first few innings Tuesday night were riddled with strikeouts and missed opportunities. But the work they did racking up Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale‘s pitch count culminated in Kiké Hernández’s big fourth-inning moment in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
“I felt hitting at the bottom of the lineup, my responsibility was to not chase him around, not give in to what he was trying to get me to do, which was roll over and hit into a double play,” Hernández said after the Dodgers’ 3-1 win for a 2-1 series lead. “So my mentality was to grind out the at-bat, try to get a good pitch to hit. If not, just be patient so I could turn the lineup over to Mookie [Betts] at the top.”
Dodgers vs. Braves in the NLDS: How to watch and betting odds
The Dodgers face the Atlanta Braves in Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday at 3 p.m. PDT. The Dodgers lead the best-of-five series is tied 2-1.
The game will be shown on FS1, Fox One and Fox Deportes. Radio broadcasts in the Los Angeles area will be on 570 AM and 1020 AM (Español).
Here are the latest betting odds for Game 4 of the NLDS:
Here’s the TV schedule for the rest of the best-of-five series (all times Pacific):
*Game 5: Friday, 5 p.m. at Dodger Stadium | Fox, Fox One, Fox Deportes
*if necessary