Friars breathe easy with Darvish set for decisive Game 5: 'He's the one'
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LOS ANGELES -- It's now up to you, Yu.
The Padres will happily give the ball to Yu Darvish in the decisive Game 5 of the National League Division Series on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
"We've got the right guy on the mound,¡± Padres third baseman Manny Machado said. ¡°We definitely have all the confidence in the world in him."
Dylan Cease started Game 4 on short rest on Wednesday and didn¡¯t get out of the second inning in the Padres¡¯ 8-0 loss at Petco Park. Darvish, however, will be pitching with his usual four days of rest.
On Sunday, in Game 2 at Dodger Stadium, he gave up one run and three hits over seven innings and 82 pitches during San Diego's 10-2 victory.
Throughout the start, Darvish bedeviled Dodgers hitters by changing speeds and using seven different pitch types. All three of the hits against him were singles.
"He's the one," Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts said. "He's a veteran and a guy that's very experienced -- played so much in Japan, played so much here. He has had so much success and pitched good the first time.
¡°I feel like if we can give him a little comfort early on, it would be nice."
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In the past two NLDS games, the Dodgers were aggressive and scored early against Cease, and Michael King in Game 3.
"My style,¡± Darvish said on Thursday, via interpreter Shingo Horie, ¡°is to go on the mound and look at how the hitters are reacting and then go about what I'm going to do. I've always been like that.
¡°So I don't necessarily have a concrete plan right now. But tomorrow that's kind of what I'm looking to do."
Darvish, 38, has pitched in playoff elimination games four times, including two winner-take-all games.
"Maybe it is the experience that I have accumulated up until today that's making me feel calm right now," Darvish said.
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Darvish's teams lost all four of those elimination games, including with the Padres in Game 5 of the 2022 NL Championship Series vs. the Phillies. In that start, he allowed two runs over six-plus innings and left with a lead before Philadelphia came away with a 4-3 win.
In three of those games, Darvish posted a quality start. The one game in which he fared poorly happened to be his last winner-take-all outing. It was for the Dodgers against the Astros in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series. The right-hander gave up five runs (four earned) over 1 2/3 innings in a 5-1 defeat at Dodger Stadium.
"I have full confidence," right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. said. "I feel like he¡¯s already proven himself. He¡¯s proven himself for the last 18 years, probably, pitching in baseball. I have all my confidence playing behind him, and I¡¯m ready to go.¡±
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Dodgers hitters on the NLDS roster are batting a collective .198 against Darvish lifetime over the regular season and postseason. Shohei Ohtani is 1-for-8 with three strikeouts.
"Obviously he's a really good pitcher and pitched well against us," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. "I think he's also very crafty, as well, so there isn't exactly one specific thing that really stands out."
Added Dodgers manager Dave Roberts: "He doesn't give in, but when he throws his slider, curveball in the strike zone or makes a mistake with the fastball, we've got to be ready to hit it. I do feel if we can put pressure on him early, that puts us in a good position."
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During the regular season, Darvish was 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 16 starts. He missed three months because of injuries and time on the restricted list to deal with a personal matter.
"I don't think I was necessarily thinking of coming back to baseball while I was on the restricted list,¡± Darvish said. ¡°But whenever I actually came back ¡ that was the time that I had different thoughts. And I thought coming back would be a good idea. That's why I'm back."
Since he returned on Sept. 4, Darvish has a 3.06 ERA over six starts combined in the regular season and postseason. The Padres went 6-0 in those games.
"He's been fantastic," Padres manager Shildt said. "Confidence level, he's got 203 wins in his career. Pitched a long time, pitched on big stages. Clearly, we're going to have one on Friday. Pitched in international competition and pitched in that stadium very well and recently.
¡°He's one of the better pitchers of this generation. That's why the confidence is high for me."