Brewers-Braves G4 lineups, FAQ (Live, TBS)

October 12th, 2021

ATLANTA -- The Braves are looking to advance and the Brewers are looking to send their National League Division Series back to Milwaukee, with Game 4 underway at Truist Park.

With back-to-back victories in this best-of-five format, Atlanta is one win away from advancing to a second straight NL Championship Series. Milwaukee’s offense has struggled through the first three games and the Braves have received stellar work from their starting pitchers.

When the Brewers won a three-game series in Atlanta on Aug. 1, they were 20 games above .500 and the Braves were still five days away from producing their first winning record of the season.

“If you would have told me we were going to be sitting here right now like this, just based on where we were, I don't know if we were even treading water,” manager Brian Snitker said. “We had a straw going up through the base sucking air. We weren't even at the top.”

When is the game and how can I watch it?
The game is on TBS. It is also available to stream on MLB.TV with authentication.

What are the starting lineups?
Brewers:
Milwaukee is 0-for-16 with runners in scoring position in the series. The last club to go hitless with runners in scoring position in an entire postseason series was the 2020 Blue Jays, who were 0-for-13 in last year’s AL Wild Card Series. A team hasn’t gone hitless in 10-plus at-bats with runners in scoring position during the Division Series round since the ‘01 Astros went 0-for-12. Eduardo Escobar started against Braves righty Charlie Morton in Game 1, but Luis Urías got the nod at third base as the Brewers try to stave off elimination.

Braves: Snitker had to shuffle his announced lineup after Jorge Soler was taken off the roster following a positive COVID-19 test. Joc Pederson, starting for the first time this series after hitting two pinch-hit home runs, shifts from left to right field, Dansby Swanson moves to leadoff and Guillermo Heredia comes off the bench to bat eighth and play center.

Who are the starting pitchers?
Brewers:
Left-hander Eric Lauer, who is one of two Brewers pitchers yet to appear in the series, got the nod for Game 4.

Braves: Atlanta named Charlie Morton, who will pitch on short rest, as their Game 4 starter. Morton’s only experience starting on short rest occurred in 2008, when he was a rookie for the Braves. Minter’s only professional start occurred in Game 5 of last year’s NL Championship Series. He allowed just one run and recorded seven strikeouts over three scoreless innings against the Dodgers.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Brewers:
“All hands on deck,” as Adrian Houser put it after pitching in relief in Game 3. Houser might have been a candidate to start Game 4 before the Brewers opted to go for offense in the fifth inning and took him off the board. Closer Josh Hader hasn’t pitched since Game 1, and Brad Boxberger hasn’t pitched since Game 2. Both will surely figure in a must-win game with a travel day to follow.

Braves: With their starters allowing just two runs over 17 innings, Atlanta hasn’t had to dig deep into its bullpen. Tyler Matzek has continued to be the top high-leverage option. Matzek has worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings and Luke Jackson has contributed 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Closer Will Smith has made things interesting from time to time, but he worked a perfect ninth in Atlanta’s 3-0 win in Game 3.

Are there any relievers who are unavailable?
None.

Any injuries of note?
Brewers:
Cain expected to feel sore after crashing into the wall trying to make a catch in the fourth inning of Game 3, but he said he plans to play on Tuesday. The rest of the Brewers on the NLDS roster appear to be healthy.

Who is hot and who is not?
Brewers:
Adames is 4-for-12 in the series, but he is the only Milwaukee player with more than two hits in the first three games. Yelich is 2-for-10 with five strikeouts and grounded into a double play in the eighth inning of Game 3 while batting with runners at the corners. García is 1-for-11 in the series with seven strikeouts. Leadoff hitter Wong is 1-for-12.

Braves: Riley has gone 4-for-12 with a home run. Pederson has gone 3-for-3 with the two pinch-hit homers. Freeman is 1-for-12 and catcher d’Arnaud is 1-for-10 with five strikeouts.

Anything else fans might want to know?
In postseason history, the Game 3 winner in any best-of-five series that was tied at 1 has gone on to win the series 39 of 54 times (72%). … The Brewers haven’t scored in 19 consecutive innings. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it is their longest scoreless streak since going 21 innings from Sept 12-14, 2020. … Milwaukee needs a run to avoid being the third team since 1903 to be shut out in a record three consecutive postseason games. The 1905 Athletics and ‘66 Dodgers hold that dubious distinction. ... With nine combined runs, this is the lowest-scoring Division Series through three games, edging out the Yankees and Rangers, who had 10 runs through that span in the 1998 American League Division Series. The previous lowest-scoring NLDS after three games was the Astros-Dodgers series in 1981, with 12.