Kershaw Trying to Save Dodgers Season in Game 4

Winning when he couldn’t afford to lose, that was the problem.

New York Mets starting pitcher Jacob deGrom answers questions during a news conference on travel day in preparation for Thursday’s Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Los Angeles, W…

Tonight’s Los Angeles Dodgers vs New York Mets National League Divisional Series baseball playoff game has a start time schedule of 8:07pm eastern time and airs on TV channel TBS.

However, despite a daunting encore against deGrom, the Dodgers like their odds in Thursday’s winner-take-all Game 5. But on the flight to L.A., Harvey told Collins he wants to pitch if needed. That provide Jansen with the chance to reset himself and pitch in the situation to which he’s normally accustomed: beginning the ninth inning with no runners on base.

Utley hasn’t played since that game despite, not because of, a two-game suspension levied Sunday by Major League Baseball.

Unable to muster much offense against Kershaw, the Mets squandered their only chance to close out the series at home. He’d better, as he’ll be going against Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw’s one-out single led to a three-run third.

With wild red hair and a bushy beard, Turner has been a thorn in the Mets’ side this series, going 7 for 15 with four doubles and three RBIs.

“I’m actually really happy for him.

Everything that you’re supposed to be, he is”, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said.

“We saw that in Game 1”. “I either get this done right now [or] I don’t have a lot of shots”.

DeGrom was brilliant in Game 1 on Friday, back when the story was still that Kershaw’s seventh innings in the postseason never end well. For two consecutive years, Kershaw has pitched in a road playoff game with his team facing elimination.

“There’s no curse or anything”, he said.

Just like the night before, Utley did not get an at-bat. Sirius XM Satellite Radio subscribers can hear live audio commentary for the game via channel 209 for the Mets or channel 212 for the Dodgers. Besides that, he was in near-complete command of his surroundings in front of a raucous and, at times, desperate Citi Field crowd. Greinke logged seven innings in the game, allowing the two runs on a pair of second-inning solo shots, by Yoenis Cespedes and Michael Conforto.

Kenley Jansen got four outs for his second save.

After losing Game 1, the Dodgers rallied to win Game 2 at home and then got blown out in Game 3. “That will kind of be in my mind and I’ll go out there and just try to put up zeros”.

The three-time Cy Young Award victor entered Tuesday’s Game 4 against the Mets with a reputation for postseason struggles, one fostered mostly by a couple of lousy starts against the St. Louis Cardinals in 2013 and 2014.

He is 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA and three home runs in five career starts with six days’ or more rest. Still, he looked sharp early and snapped off several effective curveballs.

That same pitch caused him trouble, too.

On Tuesday, once the Mets’ nightly mid-game jukebox musical was over, Kershaw began the seventh having thrown 86 pitches and protecting a 3-1 lead. “You don’t really feel exhausted or anything like that”, Kershaw said. “But we’re happy to get one”. Now, he has helped the Dodgers force a fifth game, in which they will send out yet another Cy Young candidate. The right-hander is 3-2 with a 3.48 ERA in eight postseason starts. He was 19-3 with a 1.66 ERA this season, the lowest in the majors since Atlanta ace Greg Maddux posted a 1.63 mark in 1995. The Dodgers have 46 strikeouts in this series and have won 13 of their last 16 games when allowing three or less runs.