NLDS Game 3 Preview: Brett Anderson Looks To Put Dodgers In Driver’s Seat

The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are currently tied 1-1 in the NLDS. After splitting the first two games at Dodger Stadium, the series now shifts to Citi Field in New York.

After aces Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke both pitched quality games in Los Angeles, it is now Brett Anderson’s turn to hopefully do the same. The left-hander who was penciled in as the Dodgers fifth starter at the beginning of the season, stepped up in a big way as the team’s third starter because of season ending injuries to Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu.

Anderson was healthy all season, starting 31 games and finishing with a 10-9 record, 3.69 ERA, 3.94 FIP and 1.33 WHIP. He led the NL with 396 groundball outs. Of the 30 teams in baseball, the Mets are one of two teams Anderson hasn’t pitched against in his seven-year career.

He’s made one career postseason start as a member of the Oakland Athletics in 2012, throwing six scorless innings, giving up two hits and striking out six in a victory over the Detroit Tigers.

Anderson is opposed by Mets right-hander Matt Harvey. The 26 year old missed all of 2014 after undergoing Tommy John surgery and bounced back to enjoy a nice 2015 campaign. In 29 starts he went 13-9 with a 2.71 ERA, 3.05 FIP, 1.02 WHIP and 188 strikeouts in 189.1 innings.

Harvey was the center of a few controversies this season, the first involving his team and his agent Scott Boras, who wanted Harvey on a strict innings limit this season due to previous elbow injuries.

Because of that, Harvey had a few of his starts pushed back, and is only starting one game in the NLDS. The second controversy came about a week ago when he showed up late to a mandatory team workout before the NLDS began.

In four career starts against the Dodgers, he is 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA in 24 innings. He faced them twice in 2015, giving up three runs in five innings at Dodger Stadium and two runs in seven innings just three weeks later at Citi Field.

The Dodgers bats were relatively quiet in Game 1, and through the first six innings of Game 2. Veteran Chase Utley sparked a rally in the bottom of the seventh by sliding hard into shortstop Ruben Tejada to break up a double play, while also breaking Tejada’s leg in the process.

The Dodgers went on to score four runs that inning, en route to a 5-2 victory. Utley was suspended for Games 3 and 4, but he is appealing that suspension. Since the appeal will not be heard by Monday night’s game, Utley is eligible to play.

Third baseman Justin Turner has been the Dodgers best hitter so far in the postseason, going 4-for-8 with three doubles. Jimmy Rollins gets the start at shortstop instead of Corey Seager.

Not only is Rollins one of the more experienced players on the Dodgers’ roster (47 career postseason games), he also owns a .322 career batting average at Citi Field.

Dodgers Lineup:

2B: Howie Kendrick

SS: Jimmy Rollins

1B: Adrian Gonzalez

3B: Justin Turner

RF: Andre Ethier

LF: Carl Crawford

C: Yasmani Grandal

CF: Kiké Hernandez

P: Brett Anderson

Mets Lineup:

RF: Curtis Granderson

3B: David Wright

2B: Daniel Murphy

LF: Yoenis Cespedes

1B: Lucas Duda

C: Travis d’Arnaud

SS: Wilmer Flores

CF: Juan Lagares

P: Matt Harvey