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    • On Dave Roberts, the pitching plan for Game 5, the offense and the shadows of 2021 – Dodgers Digest
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    On Dave Roberts, the pitching plan for Game 5, the offense and the shadows of 2021 – Dodgers Digest

    Madoc Meredith Posted on

    On Dave Roberts, the pitching plan for Game 5, the offense and the shadows of 2021 – Dodgers Digest

    Dave Roberts masterfully handled Game 4 of the NLDS on Wednesday night. It was probably his best managerial job since Game 6 of the 2020 World Series (which was perfection). Now he has to do it again tonight. And if he doesn’t, people will call for his head – but that hasn’t changed since the day he was hired.

    He hadn’t quite decided on the pitching plan for Game 5, but ultimately settled on the Game 1 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto to get the ball in the series-deciding game. While he was certainly tempted to play another bullpen game given the success in Game 4 – with the idea being Yamamoto and Jack Flaherty would line up against the Mets for Games 1 and 2 of the NLCS – far too much could go wrong. He would again rely on 7-9 pitchers, and the likelihood of any of them faltering (even slightly) is slim. Plus, it somehow feels like “saving you closer to a safe situation that never happens.” The call to Yamamoto to give the starting signal is therefore correct. Here’s hoping he figured out what problems there may have been with pitch tipping during his last outing.

    Yamamoto will almost certainly have a short leash. He lasted just three innings in Game 1 and – if he struggles – a similar tactic could be used tonight. Let’s take a look at who pitched on Wednesday night and what the workload was for each arm.

    Not a bad distribution. Vesia had the most stressful night, while Hudson and Phillips endured their trips with less stress. If Yamamoto can give the Dodgers 3-4 innings, the aforementioned guys could be asked to do a little more if the situation calls for it. I also hope Roberts isn’t tempted to use Flaherty as a replacement. I would rather the Dodgers go down with their trusty bullpen arms than throw out another starter in relief.

    ——

    Of course, none of this matters if the bats don’t show up.

    This probably won’t be a 1-0/2-1 game. While Yu Darvish After knocking out the Dodgers in Game 2, there is far too much offensive talent on both teams for this to be a low-scoring affair. And now that I’ve written this, put your savings below*.

    *Disclaimer: This is a joke and not gambling advice. Please do not take financial/gambling advice from anyone on the Site.

    Because of this, the Dodgers offense is a bit questionable Freddie FreemanAnkle. He was unable to play in Game 4 and is likely a game-time decision tonight. They had their best game without their Hall of Fame first baseman playing, so they are obviously better without him. Jokes aside, it might actually be better for him to rest tonight in hopes that his ankle heals better in case they advance to the NLCS, where he’ll definitely be needed. I know, “save your closer,” but in this case it’s different. And no matter what happens Alex Rodríguez says, no, Freeman’s ankle injury is actually bad for the Dodgers’ offense.

    Mookie Betts coming to life is a welcome sign, and Gavin Lux was good in itself. If the Dodgers can continue to get production from all areas of the lineup, they could potentially overcome the major pitching issues.

    ——

    This all feels a lot like 2021 against the Giants — injured first baseman, questionable pitching, starting pitchers perhaps pitching out of the bullpen and an NL East opponent on a heater waiting for their next opponent.

    Overall, we hope for a different (positive) result.

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    Madoc Meredith
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