Dodgers RHP Tony Gonsolin named starter for Game 3 of NLDS
After losing Game 2 of the National League Division Series to the San Diego Padres 5-3, the Dodgers will look to bounce back in Game 3 Friday night as the series shifts down to San Diego.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts will hand the ball to right hander Tony Gonsolin to start Game 3. However, Roberts told reporters Thursday that Gonsolin will be on a pitch count of 75 pitches.
After getting off to a scorching start this season, Gonsolin only pitched in one game after Aug. 23 due to a right forearm strain that kept him on the injured list for essentially the final month of the season.
Gonsolin, who is also known as the Cat Man due to his affection for cats, went 11-0 in his first 16 games, earning his first All-Star selection.
Overall, Gonsolin finished the season with a 16-1 record, 2.14 ERA with 119 strikeouts in 24 starts. After Julio Urías, Gonsolin was the Boys in Blue's most effective starting pitcher before suffering his right forearm strain.
However, Gonsolin's experience in the postseason has not been very good. He has recorded a 9.45 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched across two postseasons with the Dodgers.
It's safe to say that the Cat Man has not performed wekk in October and will certainly need to find a way to get over the hump if the Dodgers hope to take a 2-1 series lead on Friday.
He will likely pitch close to five innings before Roberts hands the ball over to the team's bullpen to finish the game.
San Diego will counter with left hander Blake Snell.
Game 4
Left hander Tyler Anderson will get the start for the Boys in Blue in Saturday's Game 4.
The veteran southpaw was Mr. Consistency for the Dodgers all season long. He posted a 15-5 record with a 2.57 ERA to go along with 138 strikeouts in 28 starts for Los Angeles this season.
After signing in March with the Dodgers on a "prove it" deal, Anderson quickly went from being a middle reliver to becoming one of the team's best starting pitchers.
Anderson has pitched successfully against San Diego in his career, going 6-3 with a 2.36 ERA in 14 starts against the Padres. He went 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in four starts against San Diego this season.
That is good news for the Boys in Blue and Dodgers fans but ultimately the lineup needs to produce with runners in scoring position.
The team went 0 for 8 with RISP in Game 2 on Wednesday. If that continues, it will be very hard to get past San Diego who is undoubtedly motivated after hearing about how the Dodgers have dominated them over the past couple of years.
