SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants waited until Game 5 was less than 90 minutes away to release their lineup, but there weren't any huge surprises following the change of starting pitchers for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
As expected, Tommy La Stella will hit leadoff against right-handed opener Corey Knebel and Gabe Kapler stuck with Mike Yastrzemski instead of starting Austin Slater, but there was nothing drastic. Here's the full lineup:
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SIGN UP HERE The Dodgers announced earlier Thursday that Knebel would start instead of left-hander Julio Urias, who will handle the bulk of their innings. The Giants had initially planned to go with their righty-heavy lineup, which includes Slater and Donovan Solano, but Kapler switched it up to account for Knebel starting.
The delay came in part because the Giants had to wait and see how La Stella came out of batting practice. Their leadoff hitter has been battling a sore Achilles for several weeks and it has flared up in this series, but he looked spry as he fielded grounders with Kapler and trainers watching. La Stella is likely to exit for Solano when Urias enters the game.
The Dodgers stuck with a formula that worked for them in Game 4. Gavin Lux is in center field after reaching base four times Tuesday night.
The 23-year-old came up as a middle infielder, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he was confident in Lux's ability to handle the big dimensions at Oracle Park. He'll be helped by having Mookie Betts alongside him to run anything down in Triples Alley.