Gamethread: Astros at Phillies (World Series Game 4)
Philadelphia turns to Aaron Nola, who will look to protect a 2-1 series lead
The Phillies took control of the series with a dominant, 7-0 victory in Game 3. During that game, Philadelphia launched five home runs, while the Astros only had five hits, all of which were singles. As a result of that terrific performance, the Phillies hold a 2-1 lead in the World Series.
Aaron Nola will start Game 4 for the Phillies. In the regular season, the right-handed pitcher was outstanding, as he posted a 3.25 ERA, a 2.74 xERA, and a 2.58 FIP in 205 innings. Thanks to those excellent numbers, Nola accumulated 6.3 fWAR, and the 29-year-old is up to 29.9 career fWAR. This postseason, Nola has made four starts, and he has pitched 21 2⁄3 innings. The first two of those were fantastic, but the more recent ones did not go well. Overall, Nola’s postseason ERA is 4.57, while his postseason FIP is 4.08. Nola was on the mound in Game 1, when he allowed five runs (all earned) in 4 1⁄3 innings. However, the Phillies came all the way back despite falling behind by a score of 5-0.
Cristian Javier, another right-handed pitcher, will start on the mound for the Astros. While Javier did not eat as many innings as Nola did during the regular season, he had a great year. Javier had a 2.54 ERA, a 2.43 xERA, and a 3.16 FIP in 148 2⁄3 innings, rendering him a 3.4-fWAR pitcher. Javier has only pitched 6 2⁄3 postseason innings this year, and he pitched most recently on October 22. During the 2022 postseason, Javier has a 1.35 ERA and a 4.31 FIP.
Here are tonight’s starting lineups:
#WorldSeries Game 4.
— Houston Astros (@astros) November 2, 2022
: 7:03 PM CDT
: @MLBONFOX
: 740 AM | Spanish: 93.3 FM@reliantenergy x #LevelUp pic.twitter.com/KojOnYhjPD
Run it back. #RingTheBell
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) November 2, 2022
: @MLBONFOX
: @SportsRadioWIP pic.twitter.com/KRnlup52vD
The Phillies have gotten a lot of offense from Brandon Marsh, who is slashing .375/.375/.875 in the World Series to lead all players in OPS (1.250). Meanwhile, Kyle Tucker is Houston’s hottest hitter, as he has a .250/.308/.750 slash line (1.058 OPS) in the World Series.
The first pitch is scheduled to take place at 7:03 p.m. Central. The game will be shown on FOX, and ESPN Radio will provide radio coverage.