The 2020 NLDS simulation: D-Backs vs. Dodgers

Game 4: Tantalizingly close

Up a game and playing at home, Roberts gambled again with his pitching options. Electing to save Kershaw for a possible fifth game or for the NLCS opener, he instead gave the ball to Ross Stripling (7-10, 3.92). Stripling had made two regular season starts against the D-Backs, a no-decision in a 5-4 Arizona win June 18 and a 7-3 Aug. 14 loss to Bumgarner.

D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo had no such flexibility; he turned back to his game one starter, Gallen.

The Dodgers got Gallen in trouble right from the start, but he somehow survived. Betts lined a leadoff single to left, Chris Taylor followed with a  base on balls and one out later  so did Muncy. That loaded the bases for the dangerous Turner. Gallen fanned him, then got Matt Beaty to kill the threat on a routine ground ball to second.

There was no similar escape when the top of the Dodger order got a second shot at Gallen in the third. This time Taylor followed Betts’ base on balls with a double down the left field line. Bellinger’s fly ball was deep enough to score Betts, and Muncy sent a line drive inside the right field line for a double pushing Taylor across.

Gallen found more trouble in the fourth, and this time it finished him. With one out he walked  catcher Will Smith. Stripling tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, and succeeded beyond his wildest dreams, beating out the bunt for an infield single. When Betts drew another walk, the bases were again loaded.

Again Gallen moved to the precipice of escape, whiffing Taylor. But there was no escape from Bellinger, who sent a rocket screaming into the left-center field gap for a bases-clearing double.  His hit gave LA a 5-0 advantage and knocked Gallen out of the game.

To that point, Stripling had been masterful, allowing just one  hit through the first four innings. But down five runs in a game they had to win, Arizona’s offense finally came to life in the fifth. Starling Marte got it going with a home run to left, and after Stripling walked Ketel Marte Escobar lined a base hit into left.

One out later Walker sent both runners home with a booming drive to right that found him on third base with a triple. When Stephen Vogt lifted a fly ball deep enough to left to get Walker across, Arizona trailed by just one run, 5-4.

The rest of the game would amount to a fruitless pursuit of that distinctive run. The Dodgers padded their margin against reliever Archie Bradley on Will Smith’s two-run home run in the seventh. Calhoun’s eighth inning home run off Pedro Baez cut the deficit to 7-5, and Nick Ahmed’s two-out blast  off Kenley Jansen made it 7-6.

But moments later Arizona’s last hope, pinch hitter Ildemaro Vargas, flied easily to Bellinger for the series-ending out.

The Dodgers had not only put away their season-long nemeses in four games, they’d done so without having to use Kershaw.

Arizona                 000    004    011 —  6   7  1

Los Angeles        002    300    20   —  7 10  0

W: Stripling. L: Gallen. S. Jansen