MLB division series: Lineups, analysis from NLDS Game 4s

Then it’s time for a pair of Game 4s in the National League Division Series chicago cubs And philadelphia phillies Avoided elimination from the MLB playoffs.

Will the Cubs and Phillies force decisive Game 5s on Thursday — or will they? milwaukee brewers And los angeles dodgers Advance to the National League Championship Series?

We’ve got you covered with takeaways as well as pregame lineups and keys after each game’s finals.

Philadelphia Phillies at Los Angeles Dodgers (6:08 p.m. ET)

Los Angeles leads the series 2-1

Game 4 Starter: christopher sanchez versus tyler glasnow

How can the Phillies even out the series: The Phillies have the edge when it comes to starting pitchers, with Sanchez, the Game 1 starter, coming off of a regular season in which he was one of the top five starters in baseball and had an excellent outing in Game 1, going on four days’ rest vs. Glasnow, who hadn’t pitched much in the past two-plus weeks and was battling some control issues (and he struck out eight in a Game 1 relief appearance. Two were out).

Thanks to Ranger Suarez’s great effort on Wednesday, the bullpen will also be in good shape, so the path to victory lies with Sanchez’s shutout effort and then the high-leverage relievers (with the improved performance provided in Game 1). No doubt, the offensive game plan will be to get Glasnow to increase his pitch count and then bring the soft underbelly of the Dodgers bullpen into the game earlier than Dave Roberts expected. Oh, and Bryce Harper’s hybrid home run will help, too. –David Scoenfield

Lineup

Phillies

1. tree turner (r) ss
2. kyle schwarber (L) DH
3. bryce harper (L) 1B
4. alec bohm (R)3B
5. brandon marsh (l) cf
6. JT Realmuto (R) C
7. max kepler (l) lf
8. Nick Castellanos (R) RF
9. Bryson Stott (L) 2B

dodgers

1. shohei ohtani (L) DH
2. mookie bets (r) ss
3. teoscar hernandez (R) RF
4. freddy freeman (L) 1B
5. tommy adman (s) 2b
6. Will Smith (R) C
7. alex call (R) LF
8. enrique hernandez (R)3B
9. andy pages (r) cf

Milwaukee Brewers at Chicago Cubs (9:08 p.m. ET)

Milwaukee leads the series 2-1

Game 4 Starter: freddy peralta versus Matthew Boyd

How can the Cubs even out the series: With their pitching leaning toward being downright bad, the Cubs’ best bet to tie the series is to score more runs than they have in any of their first six games of the postseason. They finally reached four runs for the first time this October – all coming in the first inning of Game 3 – then stopped there. In fact, he has not scored a single run from the second innings in either of the last two matches. After using all of their top relievers on Wednesday, there’s no guarantee they’ll be as sharp on Thursday, so a few innings with blunt numbers on the board offensively could make the difference for Chicago. –Jesse Rogers

Lineup

brewers

1. Christian Yelich (L) DH
2. jackson chourio (R) LF
3. William Contreras (R) C
4. Bryce Turang (L) 2B
5. Andrew Vaughan (R) 1B
6. Caleb Durbin (R)3B
7. sal freelick (L) RF
8. Blake Perkins (s) cf
9. Joey Ortiz (r) ss