Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Shane Drohan kept the Los Angeles Dodgers off the scoreboard for the first inning of Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Thursday, Oct. 15. The 27-year-old left-hander was stretched out as a starter during the regular season, but his appearance as the "opener" at Dodger Stadium was his first in a game since Sept. 27. During an in-game dugout interview with Fox Sports' Tom Verducci, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy revealed the previously unreported concern underlying Drohan's long layoff: the pitcher was dealing with "a little elbow soreness before this week." So it was that Drohan was removed from the game in the second inning after allowing a leadoff single to the Dodgers' Kyle Tucker.
Right-hander Dustin May took over after Drohan's 25th pitch of the game. May allowed a three-run home run to Shohei Ohtani later in the inning, giving Los Angeles a 4-0 lead. But Murphy had no regrets about the pitching change.
"We had that planned the whole way," Murphy told Verducci. "Dro hasn't pitched in a while. A couple weeks since he's been in a game. ...
It was going to be a bullpen game, and he was going to slot in right there." More news: Dodgers Could Lose Key Coach to American League Managerial Opening It's a win-or-go-home game for the Dodgers, who trail 3-0 in the best-of-seven series. Ohtani, the two-time defending National League MVP, has struggled throughout the postseason while attempting to play through multiple injuries. He entered the game with a .182/.333/.182 slash line in seven October games.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts rewarded Ohtani with a return to the leadoff spot in spite of his recent numbers. The slugger rewarded him with his first home run since August 17. More news: Dodgers Veteran Sends Sharply Worded Message to MLB Over Controversial Ad As for Drohan, it's unclear how long it will take him to bounce back from his first appearance after a long layoff.
Presumably he will be off limits in Game 5 if necessary. The Brewers' next victory will make it a moot point. For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
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