The same four starters who helped pitch the Dodgers into the 2017 World Series are slated to take the mound for the Fall Classic.
Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Yu Darvish and Alex Wood will face the Astros, beginning with Kershaw in Game 1 Tuesday at Dodger Stadium, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday that he was considering possibly flipping Hill and Darvish based on who won the ALCS. In the end, Roberts followed the "If it ain't broke" school of thought.
WORLD SERIES: Complete Astros-Dodgers schedule
"There was a little bit of the ballpark thing, whether we'd play in Yankee Stadium or (Houston's) Minute Maid (Park)," Roberts said, per MLB.com. "Ultimately, we defaulted to what's been working. The guys can stay on their schedules and routines and we feel good about it."
The quartet has indeed been working. A look at their numbers through eight postseason games (seven LA wins):
Kershaw
2-0, 3.63 ERA; 16 strikeouts, five walks in 17 1/3 innings (three starts).
Hill
0-0, 3.00; 12 strikeouts, four walks in nine innings (two starts).
Darvish
2-0, 1.59; 14 strikeouts, one walk in 11 1/3 innings (two starts).
Wood
0-1, 5.79; seven strikeouts, no walks in 4 2/3 innings (one start).
If Roberts changes his mind about Wood, he could go with right-hander Brandon McCarthy or left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu. MLB.com reported each threw a simulated game Sunday.
