Freddie Freeman in starting lineup, Miguel Rojas is out again
The Dodgers lineup for Game 5 of the NLDS looked exactly how Dave Roberts hinted it would during Thursday’s off day.
Freddie Freeman is indeed starting at first base, returning to the lineup after missing Game 4 (and twice being removed early from games earlier in the series) with his sprained right ankle.
Miguel Rojas was, as expected, out of the lineup after re-aggravating an adductor injury in Game 3.
And, with Tommy Edman shifting to shortstop to replace Rojas, Kiké Hernández was in at center field for his second straight start, coming off a two-hit performance in Game 4.
Roberts said Freeman still has to go through his pregame work before he gets a final green light to start tonight “Right now he’s in there. I feel good about him in there,” Roberts said. “If he doesn’t go, then we’ll adjust.”
Here’s the full lineup, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto getting the start:
Dodger up! Desperate Dodgers dump Padres and return to L.A. for Game 5 of NLDS
SAN DIEGO — The opening statement came two batters into the game, Mookie Betts hitting a ball to Chula Vista, the stunned stadium enveloping him in the sweetest of silence.
The follow-up statement came soon thereafter, Shohei Ohtani driving a ball down the right-field line at about 1,000 mph, the silence turning to shock.
The closing argument appeared shortly after that, Will Smith blasting another weak pitch over the center-field fence, one dugout dancing, the other one sulking — game over.
Three innings, one message, powerfully delivered Wednesday from the Dodgers to the suddenly harried and humbled San Diego Padres:
This is not 2022. This is not happening again. This is not going to be easy. This is going the distance.
Dodgers show no panic and dominate Padres to force a decisive NLDS Game 5
SAN DIEGO — In the hours before Game 4 of the National League Division Series at Petco Park on Wednesday night, there was a quiet but palpable belief around the Dodgers dugout, one that belied the seemingly dire state in which they found themselves.
Sure, the team was facing a third straight elimination in the NLDS, down two games to one to the San Diego Padres.
And no, the Dodgers were not at full strength, playing without injured veterans Freddie Freeman and Miguel Rojas while opting for a bullpen game from their banged-up pitching staff.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto to start winner-take-all NLDS Game 5 for Dodgers
Exactly 25 hours before the biggest game of his team’s season, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was sure of only one thing about his pitching plans for Game 5 in the National League Division Series on Friday night.
“I’m sure Yoshinobu will be a part of it,” Roberts said Thursday, referring to $325-million offseason signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto, his Game 1 starter.
Later the Dodgers announced Yamamoto will start Friday’s winner-take-all showdown with the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium, clearing up one part of a pitching plan that could determine the fate of L.A.’s 98-win season.
“Overall, kind of where Yoshinobu is at, I feel really comfortable,” Roberts said earlier in the day.
Dodgers vs. Padres: Ready for a Shohei Ohtani-Yu Darvish duel in Game 5?
On the TV screens inside the Dodgers’ home clubhouse Thursday, two slides clicked back and forth.
The first showed the team’s schedule for an off-day workout, on the eve of a decisive Game 5 in the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres.
The other displayed a three-word quote for the team to take into Friday’s winner-take-all contest:
“Job’s not finished”
Indeed, that was the Dodgers’ mindset coming off a season-saving Game 4 win in San Diego on Wednesday, one that staved off a third straight NLDS elimination and set up Friday’s showdown at Dodger Stadium.
“The moment is important,” manager Dave Roberts said.
“Yesterday was definitely a team win,” star slugger Shohei Ohtani added, through interpreter Will Ireton. “So we’re going to have the same kind of attitude going into the game tomorrow.”
Dodgers vs. Padres: How to watch and betting odds for Game 5
The Dodgers continue the postseason Friday when they face the San Diego Padres in Game 5 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 5:08 p.m. PDT and will air on Fox and Fox Deportes. Radio broadcasts of the game will be on 570 AM and 1020 AM (Español) in the Los Angeles area.
Here’s a look at the betting odds for Game 5:
