Dodgers manager Don Mattingly has been keeping open the possibility of bringing back Game 1 starter Clayton Kershaw for Game 4 on three days’ rest, if the Dodgers were facing elimination. He’s been using a qualifier like “right now” when he has said he’s planning to pitch Ricky Nolasco.
But Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez has said all along he would go with Freddy Garcia in Game 4, regardless, and would not bring back Kris Medlen on three days’ rest if the Braves were down.
Now the Braves are facing elimination in Game 4 and Gonzalez said he’s holding onto Medlen for a potential Game 5 if the Braves can force the series back to Atlanta.
“Yeah it’s Garcia,” Gonzalez reiterated after Game 3.
Here was the reasoning Gonzalez gave before the game: “We’ve gone the other way with all of our pitchers during this season; we’ve given them breaks. We’ve used an off day to give them an extra day. I don’t think it would be a good decision to bring them back short on a day, our guys. So that’s one of the factors in the decision making process.”
Braves vs. Nolasco
The Braves can take some confidence in past successes they’ve had against Dodgers’ Game 4 starter Ricky Nolasco, who spent the first 7 ½ years of his career with the Marlins before getting traded to LA on July 6.
Nolasco is 6-10 with a 5.11 ERA in 24 games (23 starts) against the Braves. He is 1-4 with a 6.17 ERA in his past six starts against the Braves, though he made a quality start to beat them in his only start against them in 2013. He allowed two earned runs in seven innings in a win over the Braves at Turner Field on July 3, his last start in a Marlins uniform.
Brian McCann is hitting .345 (20-for-58) with eight home runs and 23 RBIs in his career against Nolasco. Jason Heyward is hitting .348 (8-for-23) with one home run.
“It’s a new team for him, new catchers and maybe new game-calling,” Heyward said. “But at the same time, it’s good to see a familiar face.”
Ailing bench players
Both Braves outfielder Jordan Schafer and infielder Paul Janish are battling ailments, though neither said it was preventing them from playing. Schafer has been batting flu-like symptoms throughout the series and has yet to play. Neither has Janish, who suffered a broken nose on Friday in a weight-lifting accident, after a barbell popped off a rack and hit him in the face.
“I’ve had some stitches,” Janish said. “But it’s not bad. It doesn’t affect anything so long as I don’t get hit in the nose again. It’s just a little uncomfortable. It’s all right.”
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