Dave Roberts borrows a page from AJ Hinch’s book

The Dodgers’ starting position has been a revolving door all season, and injuries to Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone further down the stretch left them in a precarious situation heading into the postseason, with only Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Walker Buehler on rotation spots were stuck.

Instead of using rookie Landon Knack as the Game 4 starter, manager Dave Roberts took a page out of Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch’s book and went for a game-by-committee approach.

Reliever Ryan Brasier pitched the first inning in an opener role. Roberts mixed and matched perfectly the rest of the way, using eight different pitchers to throw a seven-hit shutout.

• Ryan Brasier: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Anthony Banda: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Michael Kopech: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Alex Vesia: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Evan Phillips: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• Daniel Hudson: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Blake Trains: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Landon Knack: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

It was a bold approach to an elimination game, but the Dodgers ultimately decided it was the best option to extend the series to a decisive final game.

Now rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be on the mound to start Game 5, with Jack Flaherty waiting in the wings if needed. The entire bullpen must also be available on Thursday with a day of rest.

Emotions will be off the charts at Dodger Stadium for Game 5

After listening to a raucous crowd at San Diego’s Petco Park for Games 3 and 4, the NLDS returns to Dodger Stadium for a winner-takes-all finale in this best-of-five series.

There’s a solid argument at this point: the Dodgers and Padres are the best active rivals in baseball.

The Yankees and Red Sox have not been top performers for a few years now. The Cardinals and Cubs both missed the playoffs this season, and the Astros vs. the World story did not survive after the AL Wild Card Series.

The Dodgers-Padres rivalry really blossomed in its current form after an 89-win Padres team upset a 111-win Dodgers team in the 2022 NLDS. It continues to be fueled by both teams’ recent success and their willingness to compete for top talent on the free agent and trade markets.

Manny Machado has been at the center of some controversy at this year’s NLDS, first for his response to Jack Flaherty punching teammate Fernando Tatis Jr. with a pitch and then a highly analyzed baseball throw into the Dodgers dugout in Game 2.

The Dodgers crowd was also a story in Game 2 when they threw baseballs at Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar as he was warming up, then threw trash on the field during an ensuing stoppage, halting play for 10 minutes. Can they match the intensity we’ve seen from Petco Park in the last two games without doing something stupid in the process?

With no love lost between these two division rivals, and both teams facing elimination, emotions will run extremely high on Friday night.

If only this was a seven game series…