Jameson Taillon to start Wednesday vs. Astros

Ohtani has gone 2-for-10 during the first three games of the best-of-five showdown against Atlanta and simply hasn’t looked like his usual self since returning from a late-season stint on the injured list to address lingering knee and back issues. There don’t appear to be any plans for the Dodgers to consider giving him any time off this postseason, despite his ongoing struggles at the dish.

Either Drake Baldwin or Ronald Acuna Jr. has led off every postseason game so far, and Harris II has only led off 15 games all season for the Braves. Yet, the 25-year-old has been arguably the team’s best hitter in the playoffs, going 9-for-24 in six games with three extra-base hits, including a home run, four runs scored and four RBI. The Braves will hope he can provide a spark and stave off elimination. Baldwin will move down to fifth for Game 4.

Hernández hit a massive home run against Chris Sale in Game 3 and will be rewarded with another start. Tommy Edman will head to the bench for the second straight game.

There were some rumblings after Game 3 that Acuña Jr. would have to DH again in Game 4 due to soreness in his right knee. However, he had an MRI after the game, which apparently cleared him to be able to return to the field. With Acuña Jr. in the outfield, Sean Murphy will catch and bat ninth, and Drake Baldwin will DH. Mike Yastrzemski will also re-enter the lineup in left field with Ha-Seong Kim heading back to the bench.

Gasser has not yet pitched this postseason. The left-hander had a 3.87 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 103/35 K/BB ratio in 190 1/3 innings for the Brewers this season. His last two outings were six and seven innings, respectively, so there is not likely to be a pitch count on him, but the Brewers will also happily go to their bullpen early if they feel it’s the right move.

Kwan has gone 1-for-7 so far this series with one walk and one run scored. The Guardians have used Travis Bazzana as a leadoff hitter at times during the season, but Kwan is continuing to make lots of contact, so Cleveland will keep slotting him at the top of the lineup and hope that contact turns to hits on Wednesday. The entire Guardians lineup remains the same as Game 2 on Monday.

The A’s are prepping for their pending move to Las Vegas and looking for someone to guide the ship when they open their indoor stadium in 2028. So far, Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reported that Philadelphia Phillies president of business operations Sam Fuld and Chicago Cubs assistant general manager Jared Banner are among the names being discussed. There are additional reports that Milwaukee Brewers assistant general manager Matt Kleine and Boston Red Sox assistant general manager Taylor Smith are also involved in the process, but it appears Falvey has taken himself out of consideration. A decision is expected to be made this week.

What makes this interesting is that the Guardians are starting right-hander Daniel Espino as the opener for left-hander Foster Griffin. Antonacci usually doesn’t play against lefties, and his being the DH means that the White Sox have more flexibility to pinch-hit for him. There’s a chance that he gets his at-bat in the first inning and then, when his spot in the order comes up again, he could be replaced by Tommy Pham or Brenton Doyle, both of whom started in Game 1, to hit against the left-handed Griffin.

The Guardians are starting Daniel Espino as an opener, but Foster Griffin, who is a left-handed pitcher, will follow him, so the White Sox will bench the left-handed-hitting Benintendi for Randal Grichuk. Chase Meidroth will move up in the batting order and hit fifth, while Grichuk starts in left field and bats eighth, which makes it likely his first at-bat will not be against the right-handed Espino.

Buehler posted a 4.63 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and 131/57 K/BB ratio in 153 2/3 innings for the Padres this season. He was better in the second half, registering a 3.62 ERA across 64 2/3 innings, and he has a good track record of postseason success with a 3.04 ERA and nearly 30 percent strikeout rate in 94 2/3 innings. The Padres will hope for another postseason gem from the 32-year-old.