ATLANTA — Rich Hill began Sunday unsure whether he would pitch the next day or in nine days. The Dodgers left-hander’s fate depended on the Game 3’s result. A Dodgers sweep and he would likely not start until Game 4 of the National League Championship Series scheduled for Oct.16, which would’ve meant a 16-day layoff. A Braves win and he’d be on the mound for Game 4 Monday afternoon at SunTrust Park with a berth in the National League Championship Series within reach. The Dodgers lost Sunday, 6-5, so Hill won’t have to wait. He’ll start Monday opposite Braves All-Star right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, who was chased after giving up four runs in two innings in Game 1. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Pacific. “I’m excited,” Hill said. “We got to win. That’s it. It’s as simple as that. Go out there and attack. Pitch with conviction and have fun.” Advertisement Hill last pitched on Sept. 30, a start he didn’t know he was going to make until he woke up that morning. Walker Buehler was originally slated to pitch, but the Dodgers decided to push the rookie back a day to start the National League West title tiebreaker against the Colorado Rockies. The uncertainty did not hamper Hill. He held the San Francisco Giants scoreless for seven innings. He gave up two hits and didn’t walk a batter. He punched out seven. But the Giants were a lackluster fourth-place team. The Braves, as demonstrated Sunday, possess some firepower. “They’re very aggressive,” said Hill, who pitched to a 2.55 ERA in four playoff starts last season. “One of the things is, for me, not to veer off my game plan and make sure that I’m attacking with my two pitches. And that’s it — changing the shape of my breaking ball and throwing a lot of fastballs. It’s not a big surprise. Just go out there and execute.” Stripling preparing to go in NLCS The Dodgers conducted a simulated game on Sunday afternoon for three pitchers who did not appear on the roster for this series against the Braves. Ross Stripling, Julio Urias and Josh Fields competed against Chase Utley, Austin Barnes and Kyle Farmer. Stripling made the All-Star team as a starting pitcher, but struggled in the second half. Opposing hitters posted a .966 on-base plus slugging percentage against him after the break. He was left off the NLDS roster in favor of Ryan Madson and Dylan Floro. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated Stripling might be a candidate to appear on the NLCS roster, because a seven-game series requires more innings. “Especially when you’re talking about a guy who can give us length,” Roberts said before the game. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself. But he’s in play for that series.” Advertisement ‘It was a mistake’ Roberts said he spoke with right fielder Yasiel Puig after Puig attempted to steal second base on his own in Game 2 and was thrown out by several feet, but that was not the reason for his absence from the Dodgers’ starting lineup in Game 3 on Sunday. Roberts explained it was a strategic choice; the Braves were starting left-hander Sean Newcomb and the Dodgers have usually not started Puig, who has reverse splits, against lefties. “It was a mistake that he made,” Roberts said. “Probably won’t be his last on the bases, but we talked about it, and we’ve moved on.” Freese’s impact Advertisement With Braves left-hander Sean Newcomb on the mound to start Sunday night, Roberts inserted David Freese into his lineup for the first time in the NLDS. Freese started at first base and batted third, a spot he’s earned against left-handed starters after a torrid first month with the Dodgers. Entering Sunday, the former World Series MVP batted .385 with a 1.130 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 47 plate appearances since the Dodgers acquired him from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 31. His presence bolstered the Dodgers’ ammunition against southpaws, a weakness for much of the season, and he became a mainstay in lineups against lefties. And peers say the 35-year-old veteran’s impact extends beyond the diamond. “Watching him and seeing the connections he’s made with the younger guys has been incredible,” Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner said. “They flock to him. They’re always around him, they’re always talking to him. And he has had, I think, a huge influence, a huge impact on a lot of our young players…Not that myself and Chase [Utley] and other guys don’t have as much influence on them, but I think at some point, guys get tired of hearing the same voices over and over again. “So to bring him in and have a new voice and a new guy kind of preaching the same stuff that we preach, maybe in a little bit different way I think was refreshing for those guys, and I think it’s gone a long way.” Advertisement Freese’s NLDS debut Sunday lasted two innings. He was replaced by pinch-hitter Max Muncy in the third inning, when the Braves replaced Newcomb with right-hander Kevin Gausman. Trying to reverse a trend The Braves have lost eight consecutive playoff rounds, dating to the 2001 National League Championship Series against Arizona. That is the second-longest drought in major league history, trailing the Chicago Cubs, who lost 10 consecutive rounds from 1910 to 1998. The Braves last won a playoff round in 2001, when they swept the Houston Astros in an NL Division Series. These kids today Advertisement Ronald Acuna Jr. became the youngest person in major league history to hit a postseason grand slam. He is 20 years, 293 days old, passing Yankees great Mickey Mantle, who was 21 years, 349 days old when he hit a grand slam in Game 5 of the 1953 World Series. He is followed by Addison Russell of the Cubs, who was 22 years, 283 days old when he did it in the 2016 World Series Game 6, Gil McDougald of the Yankees, who was 23-143 when he hit one in Game 5 of the 1951 World Series, and Francisco Lindor of the Indians, who was 23-326 when he hit a grand slam in Game 2 of the 2017 ALDS.<doc-sep>For the first time in their recent run of postseason appearances, the Dodgers will be using a fourth starter in Game Four of their National League Divisional Series against the Atlanta Braves. Rich Hill, who closed out his regular season with two straight impressive seven-inning outings, will take the mound for the Dodgers. He will face Atlanta’s Game 1 starter Mike Foltynewicz, who pitched two innings on Thursday and gave up four runs on home runs by Joc Pederson and Max Muncy. The Dodgers had started Clayton Kershaw on short rest in their four prior NLDS Game Fours. This year’s team has both the depth to use a fourth starter in this round plus Hyun-Jin Ryu is not a candidate to pitch on short rest. Mike Foltynewicz has not pitched on short rest in his professional career. He did pitch equally as well on four days rest and five days rest this season. There are no significant lineup changes for either team today as the Dodgers have their lineup they have been using against right-handed starters in this series.<doc-sep>ATLANTA -- Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker said right-hander Mike Foltynewicz will start Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Monday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The announcement came after Atlanta's 6-5 victory Sunday to fend off elimination for at least another day. The Dodgers hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. "We're going to go with Folty," Snitker said. "He went two innings, 50 pitches [in Game 1]. He's good. That's just a workout. Quite honestly, I'd rather start him than have him coming in behind somebody." Foltynewicz started Game 1 of the series in Los Angeles but struggled with his command and departed after just two innings. Foltynewicz allowed four runs, three walks and two homers in the outing, throwing 50 pitches. However, Foltynewicz was Atlanta's top starter during the regular season, his best as a major leaguer. He went 13-10 with a 2.85 ERA and 202 strikeouts -- all career-best marks. He also pitched in his first All-Star Game. "He's raring to go and itching to get the ball, and it's still elimination," Snitker said. "So we're going to try and go with the best we got." Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not announce his Game 4 starter during his postgame news conference, though lefty Rich Hill is expected to get the nod. If the Braves win Monday at SunTrust Park, Game 5 will be played in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The winner of the series will advance to the NL Championship Series to face the Milwaukee Brewers, who completed a three-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.<doc-sep>
The Los Angeles Dodgers are made for October baseball. For the third consecutive year, the Dodgers are returning to the National League Championship Series after defeating the Atlanta Braves 6-2 in Game 4 of the NLDS at SunTrust Park. David Freese came up clutch again. The 2011 postseason hero, pinch-hitting for reliever Ryan Madson, hit a two-run single to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead with two outs in the sixth inning. Manny Machado, who was 1-for-12 with seven strikeouts heading into Game 4, extended the lead with a three-run blast in the seventh inning, sucking all the air out of stadium. The Braves rolled the dice in the fourth, pulling starter Mike Foltynewicz for pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki. It paid off as Suzuki singled to left-center, scoring third baseman Johan Camargo and Tyler Flowers to give the Braves a one-run lead. But that was all the runs the Braves lineup could produce. The Dodgers now have four days to rest before they head to Milwaukee to play the Brewers in the NLCS. Turning point Yasiel Puig's bloop single in no-man's land between second baseman Ozzie Albies and right fielder Nick Markakis kept the Dodgers alive in the sixth inning. It was a ball Markakis probably should have caught to end the inning, but instead gave the Dodgers new life trailing 2-1. Jonny Venters was replaced by Brad Brach to face pinch hitter David Freese. Man of the moment Freese lives for October. Trailing 2-1 with two outs in the sixth inning, he comes up huge with a pinch-hit two-run single just beyond the glove of shortstop Charlie Culberson to give the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. State of the Dodgers The Dodgers return to the NLCS, where they face the Milwaukee Brewers, winners of 11 games in a row. After getting bypassed in Game 1 of the NLDS , Clayton Kershaw will start Friday's opener at Milwaukee. In Game 2, Kershaw shut down the Braves for eight innings. Good news for the Dodgers is it appears Machado has broken out his slump. The clean-up hitter hit a double and three-run homer in Game 4 after struggling through the first three games. State of the Braves Despite being eliminated, the Braves can look back at 2018 as a successful season. Their grand rebuild came to life a year earlier than expected for a club that won 90 games and ran away with the NL East title. Expect the Braves to contend next season and the years beyond with the young core of Albies, Camargo, Ronald Acuna Jr., Dansby Swanson and veteran Freddie Freeman.