Phillies vs Dodgers: Glasnow vs. Sánchez in NLDS Game 4 as Philly Tries to Force a Decider
The Phillies vs Dodgers series tightened in a hurry after Philadelphia’s emphatic Game 3 response, and now Game 4 arrives with everything tilted toward leverage: the Dodgers one win from advancing, the Phillies one swing from flipping home-field momentum right back to Citizens Bank Park. The matchup turns on run prevention—Tyler Glasnow’s power mix and Cristopher Sánchez’s soft-contact craft—and on whether either lineup can own the big inning.
The Phillies vs Dodgers series tightened in a hurry after Philadelphia’s emphatic Game 3 response, and now Game 4 arrives with everything tilted toward leverage: the Dodgers one win from advancing, the Phillies one swing from flipping home-field momentum right back to Citizens Bank Park. The matchup turns on run prevention—Tyler Glasnow’s power mix and Cristopher Sánchez’s soft-contact craft—and on whether either lineup can own the big inning.
First Pitch & How to Watch
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First pitch: Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025 — 6:08 p.m. ET
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Where: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
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Watch: National TV on a major sports network in prime time, with a concurrent premium streaming simulcast; local radio carries full-game coverage.
Live Status & Timeline
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Status: Early innings chess match at Dodger Stadium, scoreless through the opening frames and both starters landing their primary pitches for strikes.
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Mini-timeline:
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Top 1st: Glasnow opens with upper-90s four-seamers and a sharp slider; Phillies patient but kept off the barrel.
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Bot 1st: Sánchez leans changeup/sinker to steal early strikes; soft contact to the left side.
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2nd–3rd: Pitching tempos quick; outfielders doing most of the work as both sides test the alleys.
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Quick takeaway: If the zone stays this generous north–south, the first team to ambush early in the count likely breaks serve.
Starters, Bullpens & Matchup Notes
| Team | Unit | Names/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phillies | SP | Cristopher Sánchez (LHP) — changeup is the equalizer vs. RHB; works east–west, induces grounders. |
| Bullpen | Alvarado for lefty leverage; Kerkering for righty pockets; Hoffman in the late bridge; Kimbrel to close if Philly leads. | |
| Dodgers | SP | Tyler Glasnow (RHP) — four-seam/slider headline, curve as chase; misses bats up the ladder. |
| Bullpen | Phillips anchors the ninth; Vesia for lefty thumpers; Brasier/Priester handle the sixth–seventh swing spots. |
Platoon watch:
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Phillies likely stack lefty impact (Schwarber, Harper, Stott/Marsh) but must handle Glasnow’s vertical fastball—success comes when they flatten the plane and hunt middle-in.
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Dodgers right-hand core (Betts, Ohtani, Smith, Hernández) gets Sánchez’s changeup; look for early-count sinkers they can pull on the ground through the 5-6 hole.
Head-to-Head & Recent Form
| Game | Result | Notable Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Game 1 (PHI) | Dodgers 5–3 | Late long ball flipped it; L.A. won the big swing count. |
| Game 2 (PHI) | Dodgers 4–3 | Run prevention held; bullpen escapes for L.A. in the ninth. |
| Game 3 (LA) | Phillies 8–2 | Philly’s power reappeared; pressure swings from the top of the order. |
Form snapshots:
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Dodgers: Star power has carried tight margins; run prevention has traveled.
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Phillies: Recentered at the plate in Game 3—better zone control, earlier damage.
Numbers That Matter
| Metric | Team/Player | Value/Trend | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-pitch strike rate | Glasnow | High | Puts the slider on the table; forces lift-or-miss swings. |
| Ground-ball tendency | Sánchez | Strong vs. RHB | Can mute L.A.’s pull power if edges are called. |
| Big-inning avoidance (3+ runs) | Dodgers | Excellent in wins | When they dodge the crooked number, they dictate pace late. |
| Top-of-order slug | Phillies | Spiking after Game 3 | If Schwarber/Turner/Harper square velocity, the lineup cascades. |
| Late leverage (7th–9th) | Both | Bullpens trending solid | Managerial timing on matchups could decide the series tonight. |
Tactical Levers to Watch
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Vertical attack vs. lift hitters: Glasnow’s four-seam up and slider down play perfectly against uppercut paths; Philly must force him to the heart of the zone with traffic.
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Changeup conviction: Sánchez wins when hitters expand below the knees—Dodgers will counter by spitting on the first two changeups and hunting the inevitable strike.
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Baserunning pressure: Phillies can stress a high-whiff staff with early takes and secondary leads; one clean steal could flip an inning.
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Defensive positioning: Both clubs have lived with aggressive outfield shading; doubles prevention in the alleys is paramount at Dodger Stadium.
Prediction
This feels like a game that compresses to a handful of swing decisions. If Glasnow holds his first-pitch strike edge and the Dodgers land an early two-out RBI, Los Angeles can shorten the game with Phillips. But Philadelphia’s approach in Game 3—deeper counts, more balls in play—looked sustainable, and Sánchez’s profile matches how you survive here: keep it on the ground, make them take three singles to score.
Lean: Phillies 4, Dodgers 3, behind a sixth-inning breakthrough and one late high-leverage escape to send this series back to Philadelphia for a winner-take-all.
