Diamondbacks to start pitcher Joe Mantiply in World Series Game 4 vs. Rangers’ Andrew Heaney
Oct 31, 2023, 7:50 AM
PHOENIX — Joe Mantiply is the listed starter for the Arizona Diamondbacks for Game 4 of the World Series against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday at Chase Field.
Arizona will roll with a bullpen game in between starts by Brandon Pfaadt in Game 3 and Game 5 probable Zac Gallen.
Texas will hand the ball to left-hander Andrew Heaney, who in Game 2 Saturday pitched 0.2 innings (six pitches) with one hit allowed in a 9-1 D-backs win.
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The D-backs got 5.1 innings out of Pfaadt on Monday and 3.2 scoreless frames from a combination of Miguel Castro, Kyle Nelson, Luis Frias and Andrew Saalfrank.
Castro threw 11 pitches, Nelson 12, Frias 20 and Saalfrank four, while high-leverage arms Paul Sewald, Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson were spared.
The Diamondbacks won Game 4 of the NLCS using a bullpen game with Mantiply starting. He faced a top-of-the-order that included Philadephia Phillies left-handed boppers Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. He will be tasked with Corey Seager, who already has two consequential home runs this series to tie Game 1 in the ninth inning and grab a lead in Game 3.
Rangers right-handed outfielder Adolis Garcia exited Monday’s contest with a reported oblique injury, which could impact the outlook of the lineup. Left-handed hitting outfielder Evan Carter hit third in the first two games, but Garcia moved up to that spot for Game 3.
During Arizona’s bullpen game last week, it turned to Frias, Nelson, Castro, Saalfrank, Thompson, Ginkel and Sewald for the save, in that order based on matchups.
The D-backs also have regular-season starter Ryne Nelson available for length, although he has only thrown in two postseason games so far and neither went smoothly (1.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER).
That’s the entire bullpen with Arizona opting for 14 bats and 12 arms on the World Series roster.
Mantiply has thrown 6.1 innings with three earned runs this postseason, although all three were in the same outing. He tossed a scoreless frame in his start and another during Game 1 in Texas.
The Rangers ran into trouble on Monday after starter Max Scherzer left before the fourth inning due to back tightness. Jon Gray entered and threw three scoreless innings to save much of the bullpen. Josh Sborz, Aroldis Chapman and closer Jose Leclerc tossed 16 pitches each.
Gray, however, was expected to start Game 4, and Scherzer’s early exit forced Texas to pivot to a Heaney start.
Texas’ bullpen construction is different with several starters like Heaney turned long relievers who are able to provide length. Dane Dunning can do so as a righty, as can left-hander Martin Perez. Gray is another, since he never pitched out of the bullpen during the regular season.
That versatility allows them to stack multiple length options to build out a road map. They did so in Saturday’s 9-1 D-backs win.
Heaney had a 4.15 ERA this season in Texas after spending the 2022 campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He allowed six earned runs in 4.2 innings against the D-backs in May.
