The Padres and Mets had a chance to take advantage of the Dodgers’ lack of starting pitching depth, but couldn’t finish the job. Is Game 4 the Yankees’ best chance to expose Los Angeles’ biggest weakness?

The Dodgers’ rotation options heading into Game 4 are limited as Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are still not fully rested and Walker Buehler pitched in Game 3. For the Yankees, the choice is a little clearer.

Still, the pressure is on New York to pounce on the Dodgers’ pitching and turn the World Series around.

Here’s a look at the starting players for Game 4 of the World Series on Tuesday.

LIVE: Follow World Series updates from Game 4 of the Dodgers vs. Yankees

Yankees-Dodgers Game 4 starting pitchers

Luis Gil will get the ball for the Yankees in Game 4, while the Dodgers will have a bullpen game with Ben Casparius getting the start.

Gil spent the 2024 season as the top AL Rookie of the Year candidate despite pitching just 25.2 innings between the majors and minor leagues in the previous two seasons. The 26-year-old wasn’t even expected to be on the Yankees’ roster this season, but Gerrit Cole’s elbow injury earlier in the season opened up a role for Gil and the rookie took advantage of the opportunity.

The second half of the year didn’t go quite as smoothly for Gil, as he had a brief stint on the IL due to a lower back strain and wasn’t quite as consistent in his return, but the Yankees put the ball in Gil’s hands for Game 4 of the ALCS and trust him this time at home.

The Dodgers only have three healthy starters they’re comfortable with, so they’ve had to resort to bullpen play three times already this postseason. The results are mixed. Los Angeles’ bullpen shut out the Padres in an elimination scenario in the NLDS, but the Mets took full advantage of the bullpen in Game 2 of the NLCS. The Dodgers’ bullpen allowed five runs on 11 hits in Game 6 against New York, but they still got the win and advanced.

Casparius will start on the mound for Los Angeles in Game 4, his fourth postseason appearance. The 25-year-old didn’t make his major league debut for the Dodgers until late August. He appeared in just three games during the regular season, posting a 2.16 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 8.1 innings. In the postseason, Casparius did not allow a run while posting four strikeouts in 4.1 innings.

Ryan Brasier started two of the Dodgers’ playoff bullpen games, while Michael Kopech initiated the other. Now Casparius has a chance to open the game in the World Series.

Luis Gil stats

Gil was one of the best pitchers in baseball through mid-June, posting a 2.03 ERA and 3.08 FIP in his first 14 starts. He wasn’t quite the same pitcher down the stretch, posting a 5.15 ERA in his last 15 starts, but he showed flashes after returning from the IL, including a six-inning, one-hit outing against the Cubs in September.

Gil allowed two earned runs on three hits and walked three batters in a choppy performance in his ALCS start against the Guardians. With the pressure squarely on the Yankees, Gil hopes to be more efficient in Game 4 against a strong Dodgers lineup.

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Luis Gil vs Shohei Ohtani stats

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani went 0-3 in his only career game against Gil last June at Yankee Stadium. However, none of the three plate appearances ended in a strikeout.

Gil didn’t have his best start against the Dodgers, allowing three earned runs over 5.2 innings, but he only walked one batter and handled Ohtani well. The Yankees would get the win after giving up five runs to Tyler Glasnow.

Dodgers Bullpen Stats

The Dodgers’ bullpen wasn’t perfect in 2024, but it still ranked above average in many categories and had no shortage of crucial moments in the postseason.

The ‘Pen ranked fourth in ERA but 21st in FIP during the regular season, suggesting that the Dodgers’ strong defense was a significant factor in the unit’s success. In 2024, Los Angeles relievers ranked 21st in strikeout rate and 13th in walk rate, suggesting the group as a whole was closer to the middle of the pack than ERA indicates.

The offseason is a different animal, and this could work in two ways. On the one hand, the pressure of pitching in key moments on the road in the World Series could impact pitchers much differently than it might in a typical regular-season game. On the other hand, Dave Roberts will only use his best weapons and try to use the matchups to his advantage as much as possible with all hands on deck.