NLDS Game 4: One more win and the Phillies are dragging the Dodgers back to South Philly

The Phillies walked into Dodger Stadium for Game 3 staring straight at elimination, and instead of rolling over, they dropped an 8-2 haymaker to keep the series alive.

Kyle Schwarber finally decided October had started, launching two massive homers that silenced L.A. Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez shoved and for one night, the Phillies looked like the team they were supposed to be.

Now it’s Game 4, same parkand the same stakes. Phillies need a win to force a Game 5 back in Philly, or lose and start cleaning out lockers tomorrow.

When and Where

First pitch is at 6:08 p.m. ET (3:08 PT). Watch it on TBS, truTV, or HBO Max. MLB.TV has the series streaming if you’ve got authentication, unless you live in Canada—in which case, enjoy your hockey.

Cristopher Sanchez is back for more

The Dodgers are handing the ball to Tyler Glasnow. He went 4-3 with a 3.19 ERA this year and has already dipped into this series with a short relief outing in Game 1. This will be his first postseason start in Dodger blue and he will be looking to navigate a dangerous Phillies lineup that has torched him over the years.

Tyler Glasnow’s career stats against the Phillies:

18.1 IP | 21 H | 14 ER | 14 BB | 28 K | 6.87 ERA

The Phillies counter with Cristopher Sánchez, who’s been their unsung ace all year. He finished 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA, ranking near the top of the league in ERA, WHIP, and strikeouts.

In Game 1, he looked like a Cy Young finalist through five innings before wobbling in the sixth, striking out eight and giving up only two runs. Tonight, he gets the ball with the entire season riding on him.

To be very clear, Cristopher Sánchez’s consistency makes this matchup lean heavily into the Phillies favor… at least on paper.

Lineups: Phillies-Dodgers NLDS Game 4

The Dodgers keep rolling out the usual suspects:

Shohei Ohtani at DH, Mookie Betts at short, Teoscar Hernández in right, Freddie Freeman at first, Tommy Edman at second, Will Smith catching, Alex Call in left, Kiké Hernández at third, and Andy Pages in center. Max Muncy will be lurking off the bench if Glasnow exits early.

The Phillies go with what worked in Game 3:

Trea Turner leading off, Kyle Schwarber as DH, Bryce Harper at first, Alec Bohm at third, Brandon Marsh in center, J.T. Realmuto behind the plate, Max Kepler in left, Nick Castellanos in right, and Bryson Stott at second. Harrison Bader’s hamstring keeps him sidelined again, which means Philly has to ride with Marsh in center against a righty and hope Kemp or Bader can pinch-hit late.

Game 4#RedOctober pic.twitter.com/7c1jWLgfkJ

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 9, 2025

Bullpen Report

For the Dodgers, Roki Sasaki is available and pretending not to be the closer, even though everyone knows Dave Roberts will go to him in the ninth. Alex Vesia and Emmet Sheehan are fresh too, but the rest of the L.A. bullpen has been one long stress test.

Tanner Scott’s status is still cloudy, and that doesn’t help their depth.

Philadelphia’s bullpen is rested after getting cushy work in Game 3. Jhoan Duran is the fire-breathing dragon at the back end and is ready for more than three outs if it comes to that. Behind him, Rob Thomson has Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, David Robertson, and Tanner Banks lined up. Every card is on the table, obviously. It’s just a matter of whether Topper can avoid lighting himself on fire with one of them.

Who’s Hot, Who’s Not

Kyle Schwarber is hotter than the Dodger Stadium asphalt after blasting two home runs last night, one of which nearly left Los Angeles County. Trea Turner and Bryce Harper both woke up too, finally stringing together hits after looking lost in the first two games.

No one is talking about it, but JT Realmuto continues to be the silent assassin through the first three games of this series. If JT is going to continue to rake, that evens out the lineup and gives the top 3 in Turner, Schwarber, and Harper a bit more breathing room.

For the Dodgers, Mookie Betts continues to rake (.409 this postseason) and Kiké Hernández is back in his October costume with a .333 average and clutch RBIs. But Shohei Ohtani is flailing—seven strikeouts in 15 plate appearances—and Andy Pages has been useless with one hit in 19 at-bats.

You Already Know What’s At Stake

The Dodgers lead 2-1. One more win and they’re back in the NLCS. The Phillies, on the other hand, have to win two straight, including a return to Citizens Bank Park for a decisive Game 5.

History says only about ten percent of teams that go down 0-2 in a best-of-five ever climb back. But if any team is built for chaos, it’s this one.

The Phillies just need to drag this fight back to South Philly. One more win in L.A., and suddenly the math looks a whole lot different.

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