The San Francisco Giants lived to fight another day after Monday night’s ludicrously bonkers Game 3 in San Francisco. Conor Gillaspie delivered an unlikely go-ahead triple in the eighth inning against Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman, but the Cubs forced extra innings. It took until the 13th inning for the Giants to lock up the win, with Joe Panik driving in Brandon Crawford on a game-winning double to right field. The Giants will look for a little more “even-year magic” again on Tuesday.
Game 4 will start at 9:38 p.m. ET and will air on FS1, with Matt Vasgersian doing play-by-play, John Smoltz providing color commentary, and Ken Rosenthal reporting.
Game 1 saw Javier Baez’s home run make the difference, as Jon Lester and the Cubs ended up getting the better of Johnny Cueto and the Giants in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel. Game 2 featured the Cubs scoring early and pulling away to a 5-0 victory.
Now that the Giants have avoided elimination, they will have to rely on starter Matt Moore to win Game 4. Moore is making his third career postseason start and had a 4.08 ERA in 198 1⁄3 innings this season. Despite not pitching since Oct. 2, Moore had an impressive run to end the season, allowing two runs or fewer in four of his last five starts, including two 11-strikeout games.
Getting the ball for the Cubs, meanwhile, will be veteran starter John Lackey. Lackey went 11-8 with a 3.35 ERA in 2016 and is a veteran of postseason play. In 127 1⁄3 postseason innings, Lackey has pitched to a 3.11 ERA and struck out 99 batters. In terms of experience and ability to get the job done, there are few options more qualified than Lackey.
For the Cubs to win, they will need to ensure their bats remain hot. They just cannot afford another stretch like the one in Monday’s game where, apart from Kris Bryant’s game-tying home run in the 9th inning, the Cubs did not manage a single hit over a 27-batter span. In addition, they will need to hope that Chapman reverts to his usual dominant self.
For the Giants to win, they need a strong start from Moore. The Giants do not exactly have a reputation for bullpen success, and despite the solid performance from the relieving corps Monday night, it may be asking too much for another act from a bullpen just one day removed from pitching eight innings and using five relievers.
NLDS Game 4 Info
Time: 9:38 p.m. ET
Location: AT&T Park, San Francisco, Calif
TV: FS1
Streaming: Fox Sports Go and Postseason.tv
Radio: ESPN Radio