Diamondbacks vs. Rangers World Series Game 4 Preview

In a game that could determine if this is a short or long series, both the Diamondbacks and Rangers will be heavily relying on their bullpens. Arizona will be going with a straight bullpen game, with left-handed reliever Joe Mantiply tabbed with the start. Texas will counter with Andrew Heaney, a former starter that has been pitching in multiple roles in the postseason.

Arizona's reasoning for Mantiply is he has the right pitch mix to attack Marcus Semien away then get the left-on-left with Corey Seager in the first. Unlike the National League Championship Series, they have options to navigate after the top of the first. They could turn to Ryne Nelson for some length or turn to someone like Luis Frías or Miguel Castro to finish facing the lineup for a first time through the order. They'll likely match up against Seager multiple times through the game, so expect Kyle Nelson and Andrew Saalfrank to see that part of the lineup as well. One other note is Texas has already seen Castro and Frías twice, although the former only had a one batter appearance in Game 1. Torey Lovullo said that his entire bullpen was "gassed up and ready to go".

How the Rangers intend to deploy their bullpen game isn't as known. Martín Pérez and Dane Dunning can provide some length for the Rangers. The rest of their bullpen is in pretty solid shape entering this game, with only Jon Gray likely unavailable after pitching three scoreless innings in Game 3. The D-backs have yet to see Brock Burke and Matt Bush in the series, two arms that could see a prominent role in the middle innings of this game. Those relievers will likely form the bridge between Heaney and the backend trio of Josh Sborz, Aroldis Chapman, and José Leclerc.

Lineups

Scoring first will be a priority for either team. The Rangers are 8-0 this postseason while scoring first while the D-backs are 7-0. In a game where we'll see heavy bullpen usage, it could be shortened to a six-inning game to get the lead for either squad.

Emmanuel Rivera replaces Evan Longoria at third base in the D-backs starting lineup. Longoria has struggled this postseason, hitting .156 with a .420 OPS in 15 starts. Rivera has reached base in all three of his plate appearances in the World Series so far, including a single, a double and a walk.

Aroldis García is out of the lineup due to a left side tightness, replaced by Travis Jankowski. García grabbed his left side after flying out in the 8th inning of Game 3 and was immediately removed from the game.

The D-backs faced Heaney back on May 3rd, scoring six runs and connecting for three home runs (two by Christian Walker, one by Ketel Marte) off the left-hander in a 12-7 win.

Marte enters Game 4 with a 19-game hitting streak for the postseason. That is the longest hitting streak in MLB postseason history. He'll be a key bat in the lineup, batting leadoff, to try to get to Heaney early in the game before Bochy maneuvers into his bullpen.