‘There is no momentum coming off that game last night’

There won’t be too much time to rest up as the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers will go head-to-head in Game 4 of the World Series on Wednesday night just hours after finishing an 18-inning thriller in Game 3.

The Dodgers took a 2-1 series lead thanks to Freddie Freeman’s walk-off homer in the bottom of the 18th, wrapping up a contest that lasted nearly seven hours. It’s tied for the longest game in World Series history, equaling the 18 innings played in Game 3 of the 2018 Fall Classic when the Dodgers defeated the Boston Red Sox in Los Angeles.

Despite the heartbreaking loss for the Jays, ESPN’s Buster Olney doesn’t think the result will swing the momentum of the series one way or another too dramatically.

The Blue Jays used all eight of their relief pitchers, including 4.2 scoreless innings from Eric Lauer, while the Dodgers also emptied their eight-man pen to eke out the 6-5 victory.

Shane Bieber will get the start for Toronto in Game 4 and will be opposed by Shohei Ohtani, who hit two home runs, two doubles and three RBIs at the plate on Monday. He also got on-base a postseason record nine times in the win.

“There is no momentum coming off that game last night,” Olney told TSN 1050’s First Up on Tuesday morning. “Both of these teams, their pitching staffs are decimated. I mean absolutely decimated. At least with Shane Bieber, yeah he got up in the bullpen, that’s not the same what Ohtani did last night. It might be that the Dodgers won last night, but they could pay a price tonight. Both managers are looking for guys to pitch tonight. It is going to be a puzzle trying to figure out who’s available and for how long on these pitching staffs.”

“Who knows what’s going to happen tonight.”

After tying the game with a solo shot in the seventh inning, Blue Jays manager John Schneider elected not to pitch to Ohtani the rest of the way, intentionally walking the two-way superstar in his next four at-bats.

Even though it’s expected the Jays will be cautious with Ohtani going forward, Olney doesn’t expect Toronto to give the 31-year-old Japanese slugger the free pass when he leads off the bottom of the first inning on Wednesday.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen today and I think for a very specific reason. All of these guys had to go home at the end of that long night and try to recover,” explained Ohtani. “Not only is Shohei Ohtani doing the same thing as Freddie Freeman and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in that regard, he’s also to got to go and theoretically prepare to pitch.”

Despite avoiding too much physical strain during Monday’s epic as the designated hitter, Ohtani appeared to suffer some lower-body discomfort when running from first to second in extra innings.

“You do wonder how he is physically for this game, tonight. So, I think if you’re John Schneider you have to at least give Bieber an opportunity to pitch to him one time to see what you see and how is Shohei physically because that is going to be a toll on him coming in today and having the responsibility of both hitting and pitching,” said Olney.

Ohtani has made two pitching starts this October, posting a 2-0 record alongside a 2.25 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 12 innings.

One player that wasn’t able to avoid a potential series-ending injury was Blue Jays veteran George Springer.

The 36-year-old left in the top of the seventh inning after fouling off a pitch that appeared to cause discomfort in his oblique area. Springer immediately pulled himself from the game following the incident.

Olney says he wouldn’t be surprised if Springer’s season is done given how his interaction with the team trainer was so short.

“If you’re coming out of the game without a whit of examination or contemplation and you feel something and you’re walking off that way, he’s probably done,” said Olney. “We would be shocked.”

Springer is hitting .246 with four home runs and nine RBIs over 14 games this postseason, highlighted by that epic three-run shot in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners.

Olney notes if Springer can’t play, the Jays are able to remove Bo Bichette, who is still heavily hampered with a knee injury, from second base and slot him in as the designated hitter.

“You don’t have to do the whole dance about how long do yo leave him at second base,” he saud. “He goes there and the Blue Jays make their other adjustments.”

Ernie Clement and Addison Barger would be lead-off candidates, says Olney.