CHICAGO -- A few hours before Game 4 of the NLCS at Wrigley Field, the Dodgers and Cubs announced their lineups for Wednesday night's encounter. The Dodgers, of course, are up 3-0 in the best-of-seven series and can clinch their first pennant since 1988 with a win in Game 4. Here's how to watch Game 4, and here are the lineups ...
Visiting Dodgers
- Chris Taylor, SS
- Cody Bellinger, 1B
- Justin Turner, 3B
- Yasiel Puig, RF
- Andre Ethier, LF
- Curtis Granderson, CF
- Yasmani Grandal, C
- Chase Utley, 2B
- Alex Wood, SP
Relative to Game 3, Granderson replaces Joc Pederson in center, and Grandal is back behind the plate instead of Austin Barnes. Utley slides down to the eight hole, and one through five remain the same for skipper Dave Roberts.
Home Cubs
- Albert Almora Jr., CF
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Willson Contreras, C
- Addison Russell, SS
- Javier Baez, 2B
- Jon Jay, RF
- Jake Arrieta, SP
Ben Zobrist and Jason Heyward sit, and Kyle Schwarber remains in the two hole despite the lefty Wood going for the Dodgers. Schwarber of course homered in Game 3, so manager Joe Maddon may be taking the hot hand approach. Jay, who like Heyward bats lefty, is in the lineup, even with the switch-hitting Ian Happ on the roster. These can be cast as odd choices, but down 3-0 Maddon may be trying anything. Also, Wood is not a starter who's likely to go deep in the game, so the platoon matchups at the outset may not hold for long.