Dylan Cease reacts to the start of Game 4 of the Padres vs. Dodgers with a short break

The San Diego Padres are just one game away from competing in the National League Championship Series. They're just one win away from knocking out their division rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and they'll be sending out one of their best right-handed pitchers, Dylan Cease.

After the team's Game 3 victory, which gave them a 2-1 series lead, Padres manager Mike Shildt announced that Cease would be in action on Wednesday night.

Cease was thrilled when he heard he would have the ball in his hands.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Cease said. “I'm excited. I've never done it before, but that doesn't really mean anything to me. That doesn’t mean I can’t do it.”

Shildt didn't pass up the chance to start Cease in Game 4, he told the media on Monday. The assumption was that the Padres would go with Martin Perez, who would obviously be the replacement for Joe Musgrove, who would need Tommy John surgery.

The Padres are desperate to close the series on Wednesday, and even though Cease has only had three days of rest under his belt, they are confident in his abilities.

“Dylan is ready to go,” Shildt said. “And we’ll see how many bullets he has. Headed over it and (we) discussed it with him and he was excited about it.”

In his final outing in Game 1, Cease had a hard time shutting out the Dodgers. He gave up five earned runs on six hits and two walks over 3.1 innings. The 28-year-old had better luck in the regular season against the Dodgers, posting a 3.37 ERA over 10.2 innings. Nonetheless, it's all behind the right-hander, and the only thing that matters is that he has a good game on Wednesday.

The Padres have a chance to advance to their second NLCS in three seasons.

As for the Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts said they would play a bullpen game. The Dodgers assumed they would select rookie right-handed pitcher Landon Knack. Knack played 15 games with 12 starts in the regular season, posting a 3-5 record with a 3.65 ERA, 69 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP in 69.0 innings pitched.

It's unclear who the Dodgers will challenge in the first inning; Regardless, the Padres will be looking for another strong start similar to Tuesday night.

One thing is for sure: San Diego will rock when it comes to once again defeating their rivals and knocking off the team that was the favorite to win the 2024 World Series from the start.

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