Dodgers-Nationals NLDS Game 4: LA staves off elimination with eighth-inning rally

Ryan Fagan

Dodgers-Nationals NLDS Game 4: LA staves off elimination with eighth-inning rally image

The Dodgers turn to ace Clayton Kershaw in an effort to stave off elimination in the NLDS Tuesday night against the Nationals. Dusty Baker's squad lost the opener at home to L.A., but his Nationals have won the past two games to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. 

Stay here all game for live updates and highlights as the Nationals and Dodgers battle in Los Angeles.

MORE: Best NLDS photos

8:49 p.m.: Great play by Chase Utley, charging in and scooping the ball with his glove to Jansen covering first. Game over. Dodgers win. We're heading back to D.C. for a winner-take-all Game 5. 

This, folks, was one heck of a game.

8:47 p.m.: Jansen strikes out Trea Turner. Two outs. 

8:45 p.m.: Jansen strikes out Stephen Drew to open the ninth. One out. 

8:43 p.m.: Kenley Jansen's on to try and save this one for the Dodgers. 

8:37 p.m.: The 11th time was a charm, apparently. After Toles was hit in the foot, Andre Ethier singled as a pinch-hitter, and then Chase Utley smacked a single past the diving second baseman and Toles raced around from second base to score. Dodgers lead, 6-5. 

8:32 p.m.: Andrew Toles was just hit by a pitch in the right foot. That's the 11th batter who's been hit with a pitch this series, which is an NLDS record. 

Sounds like it should be important, but it's not. 

8:18 p.m.: So, let's wrap up Kershaw's line. He went 6 2/3 innings, allowed seven hits, two walks and 11 strikeouts. All three runners he left on base wound up scoring, so he's charged with five earned runs. 

Seems that inherited runners thing is a common theme for Kershaw postseason starts.

8:11 p.m.: Yasiel Puig was called on on strikes when home-plate ump Tom Hallion ruled that he didn't check his swing. Problem is, Puig did check his swing, and Hallion didn't bother to check with the first-base ump. Just an awful call.   

8:02 p.m.: Anthony Rendon struck out to end the inning. Finally. It's 5-5.

7:56 p.m.: Daniel Murphy continues to build his legend. After Baez hit Werth, Roberts brought Luis Avilan to face Murphy, a lefty-lefty matchup. Murphy doesn't care about such things, though, and he smacked a single into left-center that scored two Nationals to tie the score at 5.

7:52 p.m.: And, Pedro Baez promptly plunks Jayson Werth with his first pitch in relief of Kershaw. That forces home Danny Espinosa, and it's 5-3.

7:49 p.m.: Damn that was kind of awesome. With the season on the line, it was Kershaw vs. Harper. Two on, two outs, and the count ran full. Harper fouled off a couple pitches, then walked on a pitch outside. Drama, folks. 

That walk loaded the bases and ended the night for Kershaw. 

7:34 p.m.: This is fun. 

7:27 p.m.: Dodgers manager Dave Roberts let Kershaw hit for himself in the bottom of the sixth, with one out and nobody on. He walked, which is nice but not the point. Kershaw's at 89 pitches, and after Roberts had to use seven relievers in the Game 3 loss, he'd love to get seven full frames from his ace. 

7:09 p.m.: Reynaldo Lopez stepped in for the Nationals to start the fifth inning and retired the first two batters he faced. All good, right? Nope. Reddick reached on an infield single and Pederson doubled off the wall and all of a sudden, it's 5-2 Dodgers. 

6:53 p.m.: It's still 4-2, Dodgers. This is a reason why. Shadows at Dodger Stadium are just nasty. 

6:31 p.m.: Oliver Perez relieved Ross and got Yasmani Grandal to ground into a fielder's choice to end the inning. It's 4-2, Dodgers.

6:27 p.m.: Joe Ross is done for the day. The third inning was kind of a disaster. Let's recap ... 

Then Chase Utley struck out (why is he batting leadoff anyway?) and Corey Seager popped out, and it looked like Ross might wiggle out of the jam.

And after the RBI single scored Kershaw, Ross walked back-to-back lefties, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Reddick to load the bases. Then, with his last pitch of the game, Ross hit Joc Pederson with a pitch. 

5:59 p.m.: On the positive side, the Dodgers actually got Daniel Murphy out this time. On the negative side, Murphy's out was a sacrifice fly that scored Turner from second base. It's 2-2. 

5:53 p.m.: Trea Turner is good. How's that for analysis? 

5:47 p.m.: Both pitchers settled down in the second, and neither team scored. 

5:33 p.m.: So ... Adrian Gonzalez made quick work of that deficit. His two-run homer off Washington starter Joe Ross scored Justin Turner, who'd been hit with a pitch, and gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. 

5:25 p.m.: Well, that's not what the Dodgers wanted. Kershaw had to throw 27 pitches, gave up two hits and a walk, and the Nationals scored once. L.A. comes to bat in the bottom of the first, trailing, 1-0.

5:19 p.m.: Just like that, it's 1-0, Nationals. A single, a walk, a strikeout and a single by Daniel Murphy, Mr. Postseason, has the team from D.C. up early. 

5:11 p.m.: And Bryce Harper follows up with a nine-pitch walk off Kershaw

5:05 p.m.: One pitch by Kershaw, one hit for the Nationals. Trea Turner, the D.C. sensation, lashed a line drive into left field for a game-opening single. 

What time is Game 4 of the Nationals-Dodgers NLDS?

The game starts at 5:00 ET.

What TV channel is Game 4 of the Nationals-Dodgers NLDS?

FS1

Who are the starting pitchers?

Nationals: Joe Ross (3.43 ERA in 19 starts). Ross was being eased back into the mix after returning from the disabled list late in the season, so manager Dusty Baker probably isn’t expecting more than four or five innings from the right-hander. Reynaldo Lopez will be ready to step in should Ross get chased early.

Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw (1.69 ERA in 21 starts). Kershaw is going on three days’ rest in the NLDS for the fourth consecutive season. He’s gone at least six innings those previous three starts, but his back issues this year are reason for concern for the Dodgers.  

Here are the lineups: 

Ryan Fagan

Ryan Fagan Photo

Ryan Fagan, the national MLB writer for The Sporting News, has been a Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2016. He also dabbles in college hoops and other sports. And, yeah, he has way too many junk wax baseball cards.