World Series Game 4: Texas Rangers v Arizona Diamondbacks – live | World Series

Rangers 10-1 Diamondbacks, top 5th

Taveras pops up to third on one pitch and finally, finally, we are halfway through regulation here in Arizona. To the bottom of the fifth!

Rangers 10-1 Diamondbacks, top 5th

Nelson gets Heim down looking on just four pitches, so it’s two down in the top of the fifth. That’s five straight out from him, quite impressive in this particular game.

Rangers 10-1 Diamondbacks, top 5th

Ryne Nelson is back out for the top of the fifth, facing Nathaniel Lowe. Nelson gets Lowe to fly out on a 2-2 pitch. Maybe he should have started this game.

Rangers 10-1 Diamondbacks, bottom 4th

It’s two down with just a runner on third now. Heaney gets Thomas to ground on to second on a 2-0 count and that’s the end of the inning. Well, the Diamondbacks are on the board but they are still nine runs down, running out of outs and desperately need their bullpen to start putting up goose eggs to even have a chance.

Sacrifice fly! (Gurriel Jr) Rangers 10-1 Diamondbacks

Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 4th

At this point, obviously, Heaney can’t worry about the runner on third. He just needs to give his team outs however he can manage them. Tommy Pham is up for Arizona in order to mess with that plan and he gets ahead of the count 3-1. Heaney’s command isn’t as sharp here as it was in the first three innings. Pham fouls off the next offering. 3-2.

The one thing Pham couldn’t do here was strike out and that’s what he does, looking at a fastball clearly in the zone for the first out of the inning.

Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 4th

Walker hits a double! The Diamondbacks have a tad bit of life with runners on second and third with nobody out. The Arizona crowd, desperate to cheer for anything, explodes like it was a game-tying home run.

Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 4th

Heaney returns for the fourth inning. Already, the Rangers have probably gotten what they could hope for from their nominal starter, especially given the cushion their offense has built. Moreno shows patience and walks on just five pitches. Arizona has a lead off baserunner.

Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks, top 4th

Josh “Neil” Jung is up next. He hits a mammoth flyball on three pitches and that’s a 1-2-3 inning for Arizona! Finally some good news for our National League representatives in this game.

Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks, top 4th

Nelson gets Carter to ground out to first on two pitches. That’s out number two, which means the Rangers have the D-backs right where they want them.

Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks, top 4th

The Diamondbacks are now going with a different Nelson, in this instance righthander Ryne to face Garver in the top of the fourth. He’s usually a starter, which might mean he’s here to absorb innings. Garver works a full count against him, but he eventually strikes out swinging on pitch number six.

Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 3rd

Carroll comes up with two out and a runner on second base and he grounds out on two pitches on a close play at first. Nothing doing for the Diamondbacks there. To the fourth inning!

Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 3rd

Marte is up next and on a 0-2 count he hits a double to keep the inning alive. He’s 2-for-2 and doing his part.

Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 3rd

Geraldo Perdomo grounds out to short for the second out of the inning.

Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 3rd

Okay, now is time for the Diamondbacks to try to get Heaney out of the game so they can have some kind of chance against the Texas bullpen. Emmanuel Rivera is up to hit and he works a full count, getting him to throw some extra pitches, but he eventually lines out to left to start the bottom of the third inning.

FOX goes to break to Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves Of London” and all I can think of is “you better stay away from him/ He’ll rip your lungs out, Jim.” That’s what the Rangers have done to the Diamondbacks pitching in these first three innings.

Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks, top 3rd

Seager strikes out swinging to finally end the top of the third but it’s going to take a historic effort from the Diamondbacks here to avoid going down 3-1 in this series.

Three-run home run! (Semien) Rangers 10-0 Diamondbacks

Two-run double! (Jankowski) Rangers 7-0 Diamonbacks

Rangers 5-0 Diamondbacks, top 3rd

Taveras is up with one out and the bases loaded. He can add to the Rangers lead while still making an out.

Unless he strikes out, which he does on a full count here. Two away and Frías has a chance to pitch around Walker’s error by getting an out here.

Rangers 5-0 Diamondbacks, top 3rd

The luck is not with the Diamondbacks. Heim grounds out into what could be an inning-ending double play but the usually surehanded Walker bobbles it and now the bases are loaded with still just one out.

Nelson’s coming out here, Luis Frías. The Diamondbacks still aren’t out of this, Rangers pitching gave up nine runs in Game 2, but limiting the damage early is key here. Diamondbacks manager Tony Lovullo is going to have to mix-and-match perfectly from here on out and maybe rely on a little luck.

Rangers 5-0 Diamondbacks, top 3rd

One on, one out. Lowe is up and he works a full count before knocking in a single. The Rangers have runners on first and second with still just one out.

Rangers 5-0 Diamondbacks, top 3rd

Jung singles on a 1-0 count and this feels like one of those “baserunners in every inning” game.

Rangers 5-0 Diamondbacks, top 3rd

Kyle Nelson is back out there to start the third and despite falling behind Carter 3-1, he gets Carter to ground out to Walker at first.

Well, Ohtani won’t be pitching next year so that might open up the MVP talk a little bit in 2024.

Emphasis on “might.”

Rangers 5-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 2nd

Two out a runner on first, Alek Thomas makes his Game 4 debut. Thomas almost hits an extra-base hit on 1-2, but it’s just a foul ball. 2-2. Heaney throws a pitch way outside. 3-2. On the next pitch, Thomas lines out and we’re finally done with the second inning.

See what I’m saying about this one being a marathon more than a sprint? Meanwhile, FOX cuts to commercial with a little “Shakedown Street.” The Deadhead music supervisor is once again on duty today.

Rangers 5-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 2nd

That’s two quick outs for Heaney before Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hits a single to leftfield. That’s two out and one on. Can Arizona show off a little two-out magic here like Texas did?

Rangers 5-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 2nd

Tommy Pham is up and he flies to center on three pitches.

Rangers 5-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 2nd

In the bottom of the second, Heaney actually gets to face Christian Walker, who he gets to ground out to short to start the bottom of the second.

Also Seager looked a bit pained when rounding the bases, which is absolutely not what the Rangers need here.

Seager, of course, won the award back with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.

Rangers 5-0 Diamondbacks, top 2nd

Garver grounds out to finally end the inning, but the Rangers just did a lot of damage and all of it with two outs.

Two-run home run! (Seager) Rangers 5-0 Diamondbacks

Lefthander Kyle Nelson is the next reliever out of the pen. He’ll be facing Seagar with Semien now on third.

2 RBI triple! (Semien) Rangers 3-0 Diamondbacks

Rangers 1-0 Diamondbacks, top 2nd

Travis Jankowski singles to center, so there’s runners on first and second now with two out.

Run-scoring wild pitch! (Heim) Rangers 1-0 Diamondbacks

Rangers 0-0 Diamondbacks, top 2nd

Castro’s first two pitches to Heim are out of the zone. 2-0. Heim takes the next pitch, but this one’s a called strike. 2-1. Heim fouls the next pitch off. 2-2. One high changeup later, it’s a full count. 3-2. Heim grounds out. Jung takes second on the play, but there are two outs in the inning.

With Jonah Heim up, the Diamondbacks make their first of many pitching changes. It looks as though they want righthander Miguel Castro.

Rangers 0-0 Diamondbacks, top 2nd

Nathaniel Lowe is up and then he’s down, striking out on three pitches. That is, uh, not a productive out with a runner on second and nobody out.

Rangers 0-0 Diamondbacks, top 2nd

Mantiply is back out for the second inning, facing Josh Jung. We’ll see how many outs Arizona will attempt to get out of their opener here. On a 2-2 count, Jung hits a ball into the outfield that makes it all the way to the wall. Jung is in with a double and the Rangers have their first hit of the game.

Rangers 0-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 1st

Christian Walker is up with two out and a runner on third. I wonder if the Diamondbacks are going to attempt a steal here and Marte takes off! And Jonah Heim throws him out! That’s a caught stealing to end the inning! To the second!

Rangers 0-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 1st

Gabriel Moreno falls behind early against Heaney and eventually strikes out swinging. That’s two straight k’s for Heaney.

Rangers 0-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 1st

Heaney faces Corbin Carroll next and gets him to strike out swinging on three pitches for the first out of the bottom of the inning.

Rangers 0-0 Diamondbacks, bottom 1st

Andrew Heaney faces Ketel Marte to start the bottom of the first. Heaney’s first pitch is a ball. 1-0. Heaney falls behind 2-1, a hitter’s count, and he rifles the next pitch into centerfield for a leadoff hit.

Rangers 0-0 Diamondbacks, top 1st

Evan Carter is up with two out and one on. Carter’s reached base in every postseason game so far but he’ll need work to keep up this street as he flies out to the center on an 0-2 count. That’s the end of the top of the first, the Diamondbacks will have their first turn to bat next.

Rangers 0-0 Diamondbacks, top 1st

Mitch Garver is up next. He swings and misses at a changeup, takes a ball and then swings and misses at a curve that just touches the corner. He’s promptly down 1-2 and forced to revert into “staying alive” mode. He fouls off the next offering. The next pitch is far too high and Garver lays off. 2-2. The next pitch is a curve off the corner, so he’s worked a full count. The next pitch is a ball and the Rangers have their first baserunner thanks to a base on balls.

Rangers 0-0 Diamondbacks, top 1st

Corey Seager is up and immediately flies out after being booed lustily by the Arizona crowd.

Rangers 0-0 Diamondbacks, top 1st

Mantiply falls behind 3-1 before Semien swings and misses to make it a full count. He fouls off the next two pitches before grounding out to shortstop for the first out of the game.

First pitch

The funniest possible outcome here, which means it’s on the table.

Alright, we’re getting close to the official start time! Real baseball coming soon.

National anthem

100%. I recommend putting on some coffee to stay up for this one, because this probably will be the longest nine-inning game of the series. I suppose it could go to extra innings, but it definitely feels like one of those game that won’t be close. I know, famous last words.

Predictions

This was a harder prediction before today’s injury news. The Rangers have the ability to do major damage to any bullpen but that’s also their key weakness, as the Diamondbacks proved in their lopsided victory in Game 2.

It feels like it might come down to the fact that Scherzer had to leave yesterday’s game in the third inning with a back injury. With the exception of the utterly unreliable Chapman, who allowed the only Arizona run and nearly blew the game, Texas’s bullpen did a remarkable job of keeping the Diamondbacks’ batters at bay. The Rangers have now rattled off nine straight road wins in the postseason, a MLB record.

I’m guessing that streak ends today, especially with Texas missing García. While this should be a back-and-forth affair, with the Rangers having a shot until the final innings when the Diamondbacks pull away. I’m guessing something like a 10-7 Arizona win. The only thing I guarantee is that it won’t be a pitching duel.

Your predictions? Send them to us either by email (to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com) or by using Twitter/X/The Bird Site/Whatever You Call It These Days (to @HunterFelt). We’ll incorporate them throughout today’s liveblog.

Diamondbacks lineup

1. Ketel Marte, 2B

2. Corbin Carroll, RF

3. Gabriel Moreno, C

4. Christian Walker, 1B

5. Tommy Pham, DH

6. Lourdes Gurriel Jr., LF

7. Alek Thomas, CF

8. Emmanuel Rivera, 3B

9. Geraldo Perdomo, SS

Starting pitcher: Joe Mantiply

For the first time this postseason, Evan Longoria is out, replaced by Emmanuel Rivera at third.

Rangers starting lineup

1. Marcus Semien, 2B

2. Corey Seager, SS

3. Mitch Garver, DH

4. Evan Carter, LF

5. Josh Jung, 3B

6. Nathaniel Lowe, 1b

7. Jonah Heim, C

8. Leody Taveras, CF

8. Josh Jung, 3B

9. Travis Jankowski, RF

Starting pitcher: Andrew Heaney

Obviously, Jankowski is in for García

Adolis García out

As one probably would have guessed after witnessing his injury late in Game 3, Adolis García will be out for today’s game and for the remainder of the World Series.

Not to state the obvious, but this is a huge loss for the Rangers, given that García already set the postseason RBI record earlier this series. Meanwhile losing Scherzer, although a lesser concern, seriously hurts Texas’s already-thin pitching depth.

Preamble

Welcome to Game 4 of the World Series between the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Our first major news update: It’s Halloween! It’s Halloween!

It’s time for scares. For instance, the Rangers losing both clutch outfielder Adolis García and starting pitcher Max Scherzer to injuries on their way to a 3-1 victory in yesterday’s Game 3.

It’s time for screams! For instance, the screams of Diamondbacks fans should they go on to lose two straight home games to fall into a 3-1 deficit.

The big reason the Rangers have taken a 2-1 World Series lead has been Corey Seager. Seager hit a two-run homer to give Texas a lead in Game 3 and he helped preserve it by helping turn a dazzling double play to help Aroldis Chapman out of late-inning trouble. Combined with his series changing game-tying blast in Game 1, he’s showing early signs of being World Series MVP should the Rangers manage to win. Certainly, they’ll need him to keep this up given that García is now a question mark for the rest of the series.

Also this Halloween we will have one of the scariest things imaginable for baseball purist: a bullpen game! In theory, the Rangers are starting little used Andrew Heaney (a 6.00 ERA in 6.0 innings pitched) while the Diamondbacks are sticking with key reliever Joe Mantiply (a 4.26 ERA in 6.1 innings pitched).

As you can tell by those innings pitched numbers, these are less “starters” than “openers.” Heaney and Mantiply will only be the first pitchers to emerge from what will most likely be an endless revolving door of relievers. Game 4 will come down to which team can best take advantage of the other team’s bullpen. If the Diamondbacks pull through, they will even the series out at 2-2 ensuring that the World Series lasts at least six games. If the Rangers win, they will put Arizona on the verge of elimination with a chance to clinch a championship in tomorrow’s Game 5.

Who will emerge victorious? We’ll find out in a few hours here. Until then, feel free to send us your thoughts, commentary, jokes and questions and we’ll use them throughout today’s liveblog. You can email them to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com or Tweet them to @HunterFelt.

It’s the Texas Rangers vs the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field for Game 4 of the 2023 World Series. First pitch is scheduled at 8:03 PM EST but we’ll be back well before then with further updates.

Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s the report from Game 3 on Monday night.