In a surprise move announced just hours before game time, the Los Angeles Dodgers abruptly switched starting pitchers for Thursday evening’s decisive fifth game of their National League Division Series in San Francisco.
Instead of going with left-hander Julio Urías — Major League Baseball’s winningest pitcher this season — the team announced that right-hander Corey Knebel will start the game.
When asked at his pregame news conference what led to the decision, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “It’s more of appreciating in one game what we feel gives us the best chance to win. Corey’s a guy that I expected to pitch tonight and so just kind of changing up when he pitches is part of it.
“The Giants have been a tremendous ball club all year, and just speaking to the offensive side, they have been the best team in baseball as far as getting matchup advantages, platoon advantages. This allows us to, a little bit, get a neutral pitcher who’s done it, who’s had success, who’s all-in on doing it, and potentially giving us some matchups going forward throughout the game.”
Roberts said “from all the way to the tippy top of the Dodgers’ organization on down, it was a decision that we all made together.”
Roberts said that if either Urías or Knebel “felt uncomfortable in any way, we wouldn’t do this.”
Urías and Knebel were informed of the decision Wednesday afternoon, Roberts said.
Roberts said Urías was “all in on” pitching in relief.
“He’s done it in the past, last year in particular, where he thrived,” Roberts said.
Urías most recently pitched in relief in the sixth and final game of the 2020 World Series, pitching 2 1/3 hitless innings, striking out four and earning the save in the Dodgers’ title-clinching 3-1 victory.
Knebel has started four games this season, including a Sept. 3 tilt with the Giants, pitching two shutout innings in a 3-2 loss.
Roberts said he texted Giants manager Gabe Kapler Wednesday evening about the change.
Kapler called the change “understandable.”
“I don’t think it was unexpected,” Kapler said. “Certainly changes the way we were thinking about today’s game, but nothing out of the ordinary.”
The batting order questions to Kapler before the game centered around the availability of second baseman Tommy La Stella because of a sore Achilles. Kapler did not give a definitive answer about the lineup, citing the uncertainty over La Stella’s availability.
When the lineup was released about 90 minutes before the game, later than customary, it included La Stella batting leadoff.
Urías was MLB’s lone 20-game winner in 2021 with a 20-3 record. However, one of his three losses was to the Giants, when he allowed seven runs (six earned) and 11 hits in five innings in an 11-6 loss at Dodger Stadium May 29.
Urías was 2-1 with a 3.38 ERA against San Francisco in the regular season, allowing two or fewer runs in each of his other four starts.
Urías was the Game 2 winner Saturday, limiting the Giants to one run and three hits over five innings, striking out five and walking one in the Dodgers’ 9-2 victory.
Logan Webb will start for San Francisco. The right-hander was the Game 1 winner Friday, pitching 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing five hits, striking out 10 and not walking a batter in the 4-0 victory.
Webb was 11-3 with a 3.03 ERA in the regular season and 6-0 with a 1.96 ERA at Oracle Park, where the Giants were 12-0 in his starts.
Including the Game 1 start, Webb has made 21 consecutive starts without a losing decision. San Francisco is 19-2 in Webb’s last 21 starts.
Being the home team in Game 5 of a division series has not proven to provide an advantage as the home team is 13-20.
Another piece of history is against the Dodgers. In the 43 division series that were tied after two games, the team that won Game 3 went on to win the series 32 times. The Dodgers lost Game 3 1-0 Monday.
The winner of Game 5 will advance to the National League Championship Series against the NL East champion Atlanta Braves, who completed a three games to one victory over the NL Central champion Milwaukee Brewers in their National League Division Series with a 5-4 victory Tuesday.
Even though the Dodgers had a better regular-season record than the Braves, going 106-56 while Atlanta was 88-73, the Braves would have the home-field advantage in the NLCS because they won their division. The NLCS is scheduled to begin Saturday. The Dodgers would play the first two games on the road.
Legendary retired Dodger broadcaster Vin Scully tweeted, “To my knowledge, tonight’s game between the @Dodgers and @SFGiants is the most important game in the history of their rivalry. With nearly identical records, and so much at stake, I believe this to be the case.
“Many of you might consider the 1951 game for the NL pennant to be bigger. Perhaps, but that was more about the greatest moment with Bobby Thomson’s game-winning home run.”
Scully was in his second season as a Dodger broadcaster in 1951. He was standing behind Dodger broadcaster Red Barber when Thompson hit a three-run home run to give the New York Giants a 5-4 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers and a two games to one victory in their playoff for the National League pennant.
Scully tweeted the he had “one prayer for tonight’s game.”
“However it’s decided, I hope there’s no goat, no single player to shoulder the blame for a loss like Bill Buckner in the 1986 series between the @RedSox and @Mets.”
In a game Scully called for NBC, Mookie Wilson’s ground ball went through the legs of Buckner, the Boston first baseman, and into right field, driving in Ray Knight from second base for the tie-breaking run in the Mets’ 6-5 victory, tying the series at three games a piece. New York defeated the Red Sox, 8-5, in Game 7 for the championship.