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Washington Nationals vs. San Francisco Giants: NLDS Game 4 TV Schedule, Preview, Prediction

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By @JordanWevers

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NLDS Game 4: Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants (SF leads series 2-1)

Tuesday, 7 October 2014 at 6:00 pm PST on FS1

Probables: Gio Gonzalez (10-10, 3.57) vs. Ryan Vogelsong (8-13, 4.00)

Bryce Harper hit another towering home run to right field in Game 3, his second of the postseason. Although effective on paper, Drew Storen was shaky closing out the game for the Nats, who managed a win when no other outcome would have been acceptable.

There will be no two-time Cy Young winner in Tim Lincecum. There will be no three-time All-Star in Matt Cain. Instead, the Giants will turn to Vogelsong in Game 4 at home with a chance to clinch the series and play in their third NLCS in five years time.

Lincecum, despite pitching his second no-hitter in as many years against the San Diego Padres, was sporadic down the stretch and moved to the bullpen in August. It’s a shame the Giants aren’t facing the Padres tomorrow, because manager Bruce Bochy would have no choice but to throw The Freak if that were the case.

Cain was the man for San Fran in their 2012 World Series campaign. He pitched every series-clinching game for them that postseason, going 2-2 with a 3.60 ERA. Cain has undergone surgeries on both his right elbow and ankle to remove bone spurs since being placed on the 60-day DL. He will not be available.

With both of those household names not factoring into Tuesday’s game plan, Bochy will turn to the 37-year-old Vogelsong. His regular season numbers were nothing to write home about. Vogelsong’s opposition tomorrow (Gonzalez) certainly has more upside to him.

Vogelsong’s home splits are much more favorable than his away splits were in 2014. His ERA was a putrid 5.53 in five September starts, however. He also started two regular season games against the Nats this season, going 0-1 over 11.1 IP and allowing nine earned runs in those contests.

Prediction: Gio Gonzalez was rolling in September, posting his second-best monthly ERA of the season at 2.48. There was not much deviation in his home/away splits this year, either. Bryce Harper is only 1-for-8 in his career versus Vogelsong, but the right-handed pitcher vs. left-handed batter matchup definitely favors the dialed-in youngster in Game 4. It feels like Bochy knows Vogelsong is a complete wild card in this one, but he is still viewed as a more viable option than Lincecum. Bochy is prepared to roll the dice and hand the ball over to feisty veteran Jake Peavy for the series-deciding Game 5 back in D.C.

Jordan Wevers is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JordanWevers, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.

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