ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The Latest on Game 4 of the World Series (all times local):
7:50 p.m.
Dodgers starting pitcher Julio Urias is throwing a lot of strikes, and has retired all six Tampa Bay batters faced through two innings, with Los Angeles up 1-0 in Game 4 of the World Series while looking for a 3-1 series lead.
Urias has three strikeouts while throwing 23 of his 28 pitches for strikes, and got a little defensive help from right fielder Mookie Betts, who made a leaping catch on Brandon Lowe’s liner for the second out of the second inning.
The play by Betts prompted some chants of “M-V-P!, M-V-P!”
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7:28 p.m.
Justin Turner became the first player to hit a first-inning home run in consecutive World Series games, putting the Dodgers ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 on Saturday night as Los Angeles tried to take a three games to one lead.
Ryan Yarbrough fell behind all four Dodgers batters in the first, and Los Angeles went ahead early for the third time in four games.
Turner drove a 2-0 cutter 420 feet over a leaping Kevin Kiermaier in center with two outs. Turner became the Dodgers career leader with his 12th postseason home run, one more than Duke Snider. It was his third this season.
Turner became just the third player with two first-inning homers in one Series, joining the Dodgers’ Mickey Hatcher in 1988 Games 1 and 5 against Oakland, and Houston’s Alex Bregman last year in Games 2 and 6 against Washington.
Julio Urías gave up a one-out single in the bottom half to Randy Arozarena, who was caught stealing second by catcher Will Smith. Mark Carlson originally called Arozarena safe but was reversed in a video review for the final out of the inning.
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6:30 p.m.
The Fall Classic has a slight feel of October for the first time in this neutral site in Texas.
The first-pitch temperature will be somewhere around 60 degrees, perhaps slightly below with the roof open at the home of the Texas Rangers.
Los Angeles left-hander Julio Urías is facing Tampa Bay’s Ryan Yarbrough in Game 4 with the Dodgers holding a 2-1 lead in the Series. Urías has a win in all four of his appearances this postseason.
Major League Baseball decided against a crisp fall feel for Game 3, when game-time temperatures were in the low 50s with a brisk north wind. There was no rain in the forecast, but the roof was closed for LA’s 6-1 victory Friday night.
The roof was open for the first two games. The game-time temperature was in the 80s for both.
Another crowd of about 11,000 was expected — about 28% of Globe Life Field’s capacity and well below the state-mandated maximum of 50% for sports arenas amid the pandemic.
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5:55 p.m.
The Los Angeles Dodgers announced a tweak to their starting lineup just before they completed batting practice ahead of the start of Game 4.
Just more than an hour before playing the Tampa Bay Rays, the Dodgers said Cody Bellinger would be the designated hitter and AJ Pollock would be in center field.
There was no immediate word from the Dodgers on why the switch was made.
Bellinger had started the first three games of the series in center field, and was there in the original lineup. He homered and had a leaping catch that robbed the Rays of a possible homer in Game 1 on Tuesday night, two days after he popped his right shoulder out of whack during an emphatic celebration of his go-ahead homer in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.
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4:05 p.m.
The Tampa Bay Rays started four right-handed hitters at the top of their batting order and seven in all against Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Julio Urías in World Series Game 4 on Saturday night.
Tampa Bay made one change from the players it started against lefty Clayton Kershaw in the opener, starting Mike Brosseau at third in place of Joey Wendle. The Rays started four right-handed hitters at the top of their batting order.
Los Angeles reverted to its lineup against left-handers for the matchup with Ryan Yarbrough, using the same batting order the Dodgers started in Game 2, except for dropping second baseman Kiké Hernández one slot to ninth and moving up left fielder Chris Taylor to eighth.
The roof was open at new $1.2 billion Globe Life Park after staying closed for the first time in the postseason for Game 3, when the game time temperature was 53 degrees.
Los Angeles led 2-1 in the best-of-seven Series, seeking its first title since 1988.
Tampa Bay is in the Series for the second time following a five-game loss to Philadelphia in 2008.
Right fielder Mookie Betts led off the visiting Dodgers, followed by shortstop Corey Seager, third baseman Corey Seager, first baseman Max Muncy, catcher Will Smith, center fielder Cody Belliner, designated hitter AJ Pollock, Taylor and Hernández.
First baseman Yandy Díaz led off for the Rays, followed by designated hitter Randy Arozarena, Brosseau, left fielder Manuel Margot, second baseman Brandon Lowe, shortstop Willy Adames, right fieler Hunter Renfroe, catcher Mike Zunino and center fielder Kevin Kiermaier.
Urías pitched three perfect innings for the win in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series last Sunday and is is 4-0 with a 0.56 ERA in one postseason start and three relief appearances. He allowed earned run and seven hits in 16 innings with 16 strikeouts and three walks.
Yarbrough threw 19 pitches in the World Series opener, his only action since pitching five innings against Houston in the AL Championship Series on Oct. 13.
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