SAN DIEGO — First baseman Freddie Freeman has been scratched from Game 4 as the Los Angeles Dodgers try to avoid elimination in the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres.
Freeman was lifted for a pinch runner in Game 3 on Tuesday after hitting first in the eighth inning. He also left the second game on Sunday after five innings due to discomfort in his right ankle.
The Dodgers made several changes to adjust to Freeman’s absence. Max Muncy moved from third base to first, Enrique Hernandez moved from center field to third base, and Chris Taylor started in center field.
Reliever Ryan Brazier is starting for the Dodgers, with manager Dave Roberts saying Tuesday the team will go with the bullpen.
Brasier was announced as the starter about four hours before the first pitch at Petco Park. The right-hander pitched in relief in Games 1 and 2 at Dodger Stadium, winning the series opener 7-5.
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He was 1-0 with a 3.54 ERA in 29 regular season appearances, including four starts.
The Padres took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series with a 6-5 win Tuesday night highlighted by Fernando Tatis Jr.’s towering homer, his fourth of the postseason.
The Padres turned to right-hander Dylan Cease to start in short relief. The shutout started Game 1 on Saturday night and lasted just 3⅓ innings while giving up five runs and not factoring in the decision.
A shutout gave up a tying Shohei Ohtani three-run homer in the second inning in what was a highly anticipated first playoff game for the Dodgers. Ohtani is 2-for-11 with six hits since that home run.
Stop was 14-11 with a 3.74 ERA in the regular season. He threw his first hit on July 25 in a 3-0 win over Washington. He was acquired in a multi-player trade with the Chicago White Sox during spring training.
Padres manager Mike Shildt said Yu Darvish would start Game 5 if the Dodgers extended the series. If the Padres win on Wednesday night, Darvish will start Game 1 of the NL Championship Series on Sunday against the Mets.
“We like to call Yu Game 1,” Shildt said.
The Dodgers swept the Padres in the NLDS in the Texas playoff bubble in 2020. The Padres beat the Dodgers 3-1 in the 2022 NLDS.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
