close
close

Yiamastaverna

Trusted News & Timely Insights

    • The Dodgers’ bullpen game fails against the Mets in NLCS Game 2 loss
    Utah

    The Dodgers’ bullpen game fails against the Mets in NLCS Game 2 loss

    Caradoc Wyn Posted on

    play

    LOS ANGELES – For 33 straight innings, Dave Roberts pushed all the right buttons as his pitching staff kept the Los Angeles Dodgers’ season alive and took the lead in the National League Championship Series.

    But the New York Mets didn’t let up and eventually managed to pull through and win Game 2 at Dodger Stadium, making the next three games a 1-1 series in New York.

    As much credit as New York deserves for beating the Dodgers early – scoring six runs in the first two innings – it was a questionable decision for Roberts, as he ran a game plan that differed greatly from the NL’s successful plan Divisional Series difference.

    In must-win Game 4 against the San Diego Padres, Roberts turned to his leverage arms early; Michael Kopech, Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips were all brought on in the sixth inning.

    Just like the previous bullpen game, he walked Ryan Brasier in the opener on Monday, but this time he gave up Francisco Lindor’s home run. The knockout blow came against Landon Knack, a rookie whose first postseason experience came in the ninth inning of the stunning bullpen win last Series. Knack gave up five runs in the second inning, capped by Mark Vientos’ grand slam that ended up providing all the runs the Mets needed.

    Roberts said before Game 2 that Knack would “get the most outs,” but it was a bold decision to use him since Los Angeles was already in the game. Knack would only pitch two innings.

    So why didn’t Roberts use the same strategy that worked before?

    “I think in this situation you still have to be able to finish the game and you’re talking about the second game right away and so you have a guy on the mound that has to eat up innings,” the said Dodgers manager. “At some point, Knack had to pitch.”

    When asked why he didn’t choose to use powerhouse pitchers like Kopech, Phillips or Blake Treinen even though they hadn’t pitched since Friday, Roberts said he didn’t think about throwing them out early in the game. He also pointed out that Vesia is not on the NLCS roster due to injury and Daniel Hudson was “down” for the competition.

    “That’s probably the biggest impetus is you have to get some outs out of it or you know you just can’t finish the game otherwise,” Roberts said.

    Monday was a stark reminder of how much pressure a manager has when trying to maneuver through a bullpen game, let alone the postseason. One day it works perfectly and there is praise. The next moment everything falls apart and criticism increases.

    “It’s all great when it’s working well and the guys are putting up zeros, but you’re still coming up against really good ball clubs and there’s a margin that you’ve got to be wary of and kind of really appreciate the cost for the next few games .” “Roberts said. “When you’re on the edge and you lose a few people – when people aren’t available – you have to figure out how to get out somehow.”

    A bright spot for Los Angeles was the performance of substitute Brent Honeywell in the loss. A midseason signing brought in by the Pittsburgh Pirates in July, he pitched three scoreless innings with two strikeouts that kept the Dodgers within striking distance.

    Roberts praised the performance of Honeywell, a former front-runner whose career was derailed by four elbow surgeries. The pitcher said he didn’t know he would throw three innings, but his mindset was to simply avoid losing the game.

    “(Roberts) felt that leaving me there was the best chance for us to win the game, and I would die on that mound any day of the week,” Honeywell said.

    With the series now tied, it is likely that the Dodgers will play another bullpen game at some point in the series. Walker Buehler is scheduled to pitch Game 3 and Yoshinobo Yamamoto will likely pitch Game 4, then either Jack Flaherty or a bullpen game in Game 5.

    It’s uncertain how Roberts would approach another bullpen game given how things went in Game 2. He said it was too early to tell and he needed to “make sure we learn from some of the things” that went wrong on Monday.

    But the Dodgers manager is happy with the weapons at his disposal. Yes, none of his more dominant bullpen arms were able to save Game 2, but he likes his chances at what they could do for three games in Queens.

    “Where we are right now, it never feels good to lose, but feeling like you have your big guys ready for the next three games is a really good feeling,” Roberts said.

    Get to the heart of the news quickly with the USA TODAY app. Download for award-winning reporting, crosswords, audio storytelling, the e-newspaper and more.

    Tagged:

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Caradoc Wyn
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like

    ads