Random rantings and ravings about the Los Angeles Dodgers, written by a small consortium of rabid Dodger fans. With occasional comments on baseball, entertainment, pop culture, and life in general.
In the end, it wasn't about ruining baseball. It was about grit.
And the Dodgers had it--arguably, even more than the Toronto Blue Jays.
For the Dodgers to go into Rogers Centre needing to win both games, and then winning Game 7 in an extra-inning classic--amazing. This one will be remembered for all time. And what a gutty win after getting kicked in the nuts early, with Shohei Ohtani giving up a three-run HR to Bo Bichette in an extremely abbreivated start.
Ohtani didn't have it on the mound this night, but the truth is, this Dodger team is much more than even its brightest star. The 2025 Dodgers showcase a roster full of future Hall of Famers, but also honors a panoply of unsung and unlikely heroes:
Max Muncy, whose eighth-inning home run brought us within one run of a comeback.
Miguel Rojas, an unlikely savior with his game-tying home run in the ninth inning.
Andy Pages, who ran over Kiké Hernandez in the ninth inning on a deep gapper fly ball, to preserve the tie game.
Will Smith, overshadowed superstar workhorse catcher, with the game-winning solo home run in the 11th.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, winner of World Series Game 6 and 7, the latter on zero days rest.
Mookie Betts, whose clutch double play to end the 2025 World Series showed off his fully-honed defensive skills at a brand new position.
And let's not forget some of the little guys who got us here:
Justin Dean, whose headsup play to call for the deadball in Game 6 saved us the game.
Will Klein, whose Game 3 heroics earned us a victory in the 18-inning marathon.
Justin Wrobleski, whose fourth-inning inside pitches in Game 7 fired the Dodgers back up.
And of course, Dave Roberts, who made incredible decisions all series long, a grandmaster of chess moves in this World Series.
I'm still processing this one (and, hung over), but I wanted to get something posted.
Congratulations to the 2025 Los Angeles Dodgers. What an incredible ride.
In a tense affair that only took 3:30 to complete but felt like an eternity, the Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies on an improbable error, with Orion Kerkering panicking after a botched comebacker, ultimately throwing the ball to the wrong base and wide of catcher J.T. Realmuto, allowing Dodgers pinchrunner Hyeseong Kim to score the game-winning run.
I was at the game and would not have believed this ending despite seeing it with my own eyes.
I guess you can now spell "Phillies" with three Ls.
The truth is, either team could have easily won this series. The Dodgers stole Game 1 in Philadelphia, and then barely survived Game 2, to put Los Angeles in a pretty comfortable position. But after squandering Game 3, it seemed like this Game 4, which rested on a razor's edge, could have gone either way.
Had the Dodgers lost NLDS Game 4, I have to think we would not have been favored to win the series in a winner-take-all Game 5, given the hostility of Citizens Bank Park, not to mention our recent performance where we just squeaked to victories by our fingernails.
But key Dodgers stepped up here in Game 4 to deliver us the win, and we have to give them their rightful commendations:
Tyler Glasnow was nails. Yes, Glasnow's reputation of fragility, coupled with the fact that he only started 18 games for us this year, made me skeptical that we'd see him finish even three innings. But Glasnow's line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB and 8 Ks--outdid Phillies starter Cristopher Sanchez's numbers (6.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 1 BB and 5 Ks).
I wasn't sure why we took Glasnow out after only 83 pitches and six innings, because he was dealing, but I've since read that he was cramping. But his performance kept us in the game, for sure.
Emmet Sheehan held up. Sure, he made an error that cost us a run. But the kid has now pitched in three 2025 postseason games and is getting a little bit sharper each time. He had a strikeout in Game 1 (2.0 IP) and a strikeout in G4 (1.0 IP), and thought his ERA is still 10.80 this postseason, he's a viable middle-inning bridge, which we need. Keep up the progress, Emmet!
Roki Sasaki, of course, was the breakout story of the day. Holy shit, Batman. Given all the hype of his signing, then the clear discomfort and shaky performances early on this year, and then missing most of the year with a shoulder injury--there was absolutely no way one would think Sasaki would become the postseason closer beast that has emerged late in 2025. Since returning from injury on September 24, Sasaki pitched in only two regular-season games (one inning each; 0 ER and 4 Ks). And then, despite ratcheting up the pressure in each 2025 postseason appearance, Sasaki has shined.
But Game 4's performance, asking the rookie to go three innings of work and watching him face nine batters and sit all nine down--one would have never expected this. Sasaki just hit another level, in a role that he wasn't even expected to play. I can't think of a comparable example. It's amazing.
Clayton Kershaw wore it in Game 3, so that we could have everyone ready for Game 4. Watching Kershaw struggle on Wednesday was just gut-wrenching awful. But if he doesn't pitch those two innings, we use up some of the few options we have in that corroded bullpen (even more corroded now that Tanner Scott is out through the NLCS, not that we'd really feel comfortable using Scott these days, anyway). Hopefully, us advancing to the NLCS will give Kershaw a chance to whittle down his truly unfair 2025 postseason 18.00 ERA (not to mention, his career 4.63 postseason ERA).
The bottom of our lineup broke through. Tommy Edman, who was roping some balls earlier in the game, finally broke through with a single to left in the 11th, for his first hit of the game. Then Max Muncy clutched up and singled to center, advancing pinch-runner Kim to third, and knocking out Phillies Game-5-starter-turned-reliever Jesus Luzardo. Then Kiké Hernandez--now batting .318 with a .809 OPS this postseason, both marks ahead of Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman!--worked the count to earn a walk and load the bases.
And that set up the dramatics for Andy Pages--batting a microscopic .042 with a .122 OPS this postseason--to hit the comebacker that quickly unfolded into an error, with Kim crossing the plate and the Dodgers winning the game. But all four of those players were our 6-7-8-9 in the lineup on Thursday; the heroics were all theirs.
Dave Roberts, again, made all the right calls and beat Phillies manager Rob Thomson in the chess match. Roberts gets a lot of flack, and I know I defend him more than most. But honestly, with Thomson going to closer Jhoan Duran in the seventh inning (Duran ended up blowing ths save by walking Mookie Betts with the bases loaded, which was amazing); then throwing his Game 5 starter in the tenth inning, in a do-or-die move--Thomson was trying everything to give his team the win.
But Roberts' bullpen choices, even going back to how he (ab)used Kershaw in Game 4 (see above), proved to be key. Pushing Sasaki for three frames in Game 3 was ballsy, and it worked out (and so did using Alex Vesia in the 11th, and Vesia might be gaining some girth on his trust tree branch of late). It seems like Doc has gotten a lot better over time about reading the moment and trusting his players in key situations; it may not always work out, but it seems to be successful more often than not. Now, why we are sticking with starting Pages is another issue.
And look, I hated to see it end on Orion Kerkering's shoulders like that. He just freaked out, with 50,000 fans screaming and a bobbled ball that shifted things from routine to chaos in an instant. Yeah, maybe he should have thrown to first base to get Pages. And the play at the plate might have been close. But you don't like to see a walk-off error. I feel for the guy.
Needless to say, it wasn't his fault that the Phillies are going home. Look at their big three: Trea Turner, 0-for-5 on Thursday with 2 Ks, finishing with a .235 average and .551 OPS (Turner did make a sweet defensive play in Game 4 on a grounder). Kyle Schwarber, who erupted for two home runs in Game 3, was a sad 1-for-5 in Game 4, also with 2 Ks, finishing the postseason with a .188 average (and .903 OPS). Bryce Harper, who has not fared well in Dodger Stadium in his career, went 0-for-4 and finished with a .200 average and .600 OPS.
So in NLDS Game 4, combined, Philly's big three went 1-for-14 with 4 Ks.
Now look, our big three didn't do much better: 2-for-13 with 5 Ks across Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman (Roberts wedged Teoscar Hernandez in there for Game 4, batting third but he was worse: 1-for-5 with 3 Ks on his own). Ohtani and Freeman look pretty bad right now, which some speculate is because Philadelphia's lefties are so strong. You know who else has strong lefty pitching? The Cubs (who play a winner-take-all game in Milwaukee Saturday). Gulp.
But I'll think about our adjustments that we'll need to make for the NLCS later. For now, I'm going to revel in the fact that the Dodgers are moving on, having vanquished the team that many believe would be our biggest obstacle this 2025 postseason.
After sitting through 11 innings of totally clenched ball last night, I'm still pretty nervous.
In the first game of an incredibly over-hyped three-game series featuring the best two teams in the National League, the Dodgers eked out a gritty 4-3 win over the Mets mostly due to three RBI from Gavin Lux across two clutch AB. But that wasn't the full story.
Dodger Manager Dave Roberts, watching his team battle back and scratch out the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, was entering the ninth inning having spent starter Andrew Heaney, journeyman Heath Hembree, and bullpen stalwarts Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips. Most of us Dodger fans were expecting Phillips to go two frames; or possibly hold our breaths (and our scrotums) to watch Craig Kimbrel try and close out the ninth.
Nope. Roberts sent out Jake Reed to the mound.
Jake Reed had a 9.00 ERA across 9 IP this year, including five games with the Mets (who dumped him on July 10, allowing the Dodgers to claim him on waivers). In Reed's three games with the Dodgers, he'd pitched 2.2 IP and given up 5 H and 1 ER. Not exactly a great audition, right? But it was good enough to convince Roberts to send him out there to finish the game.
That was insane.
What was even more insane was...Reed actually delivered the victory. Leadoff single to Eduardo Escobar, yikes. Then Reed induces Daniel Vogelbach to GIDP to a shifted Max Muncy (credit Roberts with the shift, as well!), and then gets Brandon Nimmo to hit a comebacker for the final out.
Nice performance from Reed, of course. But what a ballsy move by Roberts, who not only saved the rest of his bullpen arms either for the next two games, or down the late-season stretch--he also basically told the Mets, "I can beat you, even with the dregs of my team. And if I can't? I don't care."
Buck Showalter has got to be steamed. The capacity crowd at Citi Field must have been pissed off.
And we may lose tonight to Jacob deGrom, as the betting lines are indicating; and then who knows on Thursday, for Clayton Kershaw's return from the IL.
But Dave Roberts doesn't care. He's going to be bold, anyway.
LET'S GO!!!
Game Thread for the rest of the Mets series is here.
Friedman on Wednesday addressed the two controllable variables in the Dodgers’ demise. First, who exactly made the decisions to have [Max] Scherzer and Julio Urías pitch in relief? Was it the front office or manager Dave Roberts?
“They are Dave’s decisions with [pitching coach] Mark Prior and [game planning coach] Danny Lehmann and [bench coach] Bob Geren in the dugout,” Friedman said. “We do a lot of work to prepare ahead of time to understand how certain relievers match up against certain hitters.
“Games play out in so many different ways that it’s impossible to anticipate it before, so those decisions are made in the dugout, as they should be, because so many things have changed in the two, three, four hours from going through it through the game.”
I have been pretty zen since the Dodgers' loss in the 2021 NLCS, though not quite calm enough to write a post yet. But this article just got me bummed out all over again.
In one of the most tense Dodgers playoff games I have ever watched, the Dodgers overcame the ghosts of Giants playoff games past, winning 2021 NLDS Game 5 in its final inning. The game's box score looked identical for the Giants and Dodgers through the first eight innings, with each team showing one run on six hits, and both runs coming in the sixth inning (Dodgers, off a Mookie Betts single and stolen base, scoring on a Corey Seager RBI double; Giants, on a solo home run to deep center by Darren Ruf).
Justin Turner was batting 0-for-3 with a walk in this game, capping an uncharacteristically anemic .083 batting average this postseason. But when Camilo Doval hit Justin Turner in the top of the ninth with one out, that opened up a sliver of hope for the Dodgers that seemed to elude them all game (the Dodgers ended the game 2-for-10 with RISP, and 7 LOB). Gavin Lux worked a great AB for a solid single to right, his first hit of the game (despite great at bats all game long). JT advances to second. And then, the light-hitting Cody Bellinger scorched an RBI single right through the shift to have the Dodgers take the lead:
Bellinger was the hero. Bellinger, after a trying season full of injuries and disappointing ABs. I was very worried by his plate appearance here in the ninth (I thought he was going to GIDP), and I was very proud to be proven wrong by his GWRBI. Way to go, Cody!
As an aside, I've learned to have trust in Doc Roberts' calls. The decision to start Knebel "went all the way to the tippy-top of the organization," Roberts said (the LAT also reported that Roberts told Kapler abou the Knebele decison at 10pm on Wednesday night, though the news didn't break to the public until aroudn 12 hours later). That said, the decision to have Chris Taylor bunt in the top of the ninth, with one out and men at the corners, was ridiculous. Taylor was stroking the ball well, a squeeze play at the plate was unnecesary, and Taylor popped his bunt up for an out anyway. That ended up leaving the score at 2-1 LA, at a time when a third run really seemend necessary to win this one.
Max Scherzer came in to pitch the ninth and line up for his first career save. But should this game go to extras, it wasn't clear what arms might be left to utilize.
Scherzer got Brandon Crawford to fly out to Chris Taylor in left field. Then Kris Bryant reached on an error by Justin Turner, which was bone-chilling. Winning run now comes to the plate. You sort of got the sense that one more mistake from Scherzer--in an unfamiliar position--would cost the Dodgers the game. Giants manager Gabe Kapler threw in "Late Night" LaMonte Wade to pinch hit, and he Kd looking on a beautiful pitch to the outside high corner, ending a very tense AB. And then, controversy struck, when Wilmer Flores struck out on a close call check swing that was called a game- and series-ending strike. And I mean, a very close call:
Kapler, in his post-game conference, was disappointed by the call but reiterated "that was not the sole reason we lost that game." Gotta hand it to Kapler for that poise and professionalism in the wake of that loss.
Maybe this is the baseball gods restoring order. I was at that July 22 Giants @ Dodgers game, and yes, it hurt--even in a game much less meaningful than this one. But given that game would have had the Dodgers win the season series with the Giants (and the division), meaning NLDS Game 5 would be in Los Angeles,... perhaps it's karma. Or payback for The New York Giants stealing signs in 1951.
Baseball karma.
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Okay so by this point you are probably asking how SoSG Sax could have been the hero, when all he did was watch the game 300 miles away on television, pacing a groove in the floor just like every other Dodgers fan during that tense Game 5 matchup?
I went to NLDS Game 3. And I was fortunate enough to go in a suite, which gives access to not only great views, but food and beverages. And oh, there were a lot of beverages. I got to Game 3 very early, giving me a chance to have many of the beers in the refrigerator during the course of the game (always drinking responsibly, of course). Scherzer was on the mound against Alex Wood. The Dodgers, tied 1-1 in the series with two games at home, looked poised to win Game 3.
But unfortunately, that was the blustery and cold night that the Dodgers lost, when winds knocked down shots from Chris Taylor and Gavin Lux short of the wall that Evan Longoria was lucky enough to crest, in the Giants' 1-0 victory.
Mind you, this was my third visit to that suite this year. And all three times, the Dodgers had lost.
I was going back to that same suite for NLDS Game 4. And now, I was very worried. Was it my presence in that area that was dragging the Dodgers down? I even considered not going to the game at all, but that seemed extreme.
So late the night of Game 3, I made a vow: I would not drink any alcohol as long as the Dodgers were playing in the 2021 postseason.
Please note, this is a HUGE sacrifice to the baseball gods. I can't remember the last time I was at a baseball game and not drinking a beer, but I am guessing I was underage at the time. Having a beer at a baseball game is one of my passions, coupled with two of my favorite things in the world: baseball, and beer. Maybe not in that order.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, though. So I went to the game. The Dodgers romped to a 7-2 victory. And while friends and acquaintances cheered and clinked cans of Stella Artois and Modelo, I drank Aha flavored seltzer water and Dasani.
One thing I did notice was that I need to fidget while watching a game. So I ate a lot of chips and popcorn. Guess that's why I'm sipping a lot of beer during a game, normally.
But I also noticed, it wasn't tooooooo bad to be dry while watching the Dodgers. I could do this. I think.
So, bolstered by the Dodgers' win in Game 4, I have remained alcohol-free. Including through the off-day. Including through all of NLDS Game 5.
And it worked.
I also wore the same "World Series LA" hat (from 2017) which brought the Dodgers luck in Game 4. Same Dodgers socks as in Game 4, as well. And I wore a different Dodgers t-shirt during most of the game. After the seventh inning, with the score tied 1-1, I wanted to switch to the "World Series Champs" t-shirt (also what I wore Game 4), but Ms. Sax, sitting beside me on the sofa, warned me it was too early. So I waited. Then in the ninth inning, she signalled for the t-shirt change from the bullpen. And THAT move worked, too!
Crazy.
So here we go, on to the NLCS with Game 1 in Atlanta. I'll be poised and ready, as I'm sure the Dodgers will be as well. But I won't have drink in hand!
Game 1 was vintage 2020 Dodgers, if a team can be "vintage" while "still playing." Starting pitching kept the Boys in Blue in the game and it took a while for the bats to arrive but when they did, hoo boy.
Today is a different beast, however, as Walker Buehler is lined up for a Game 3 start, which means it's time for a bullpen game! Gonsolin is the starter, with May and Urías reportedly available to sub in. Keep in mind all three pitchers worked three days ago so Doc will have to mix and match to scratch out those 27 outs.
But it won't matter if the bats don't show up again. I happen to believe Snell is touchable based on my extensive research of watching his last start.
Some say JT is still floating there, waiting for a teammate to complete the low-five.
Clayton Kershaw vs Tyler Glasnow.
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat is going on??? How did the Boys in Blue go from staring elimination in the face (sans mask, no less) to barreling into their third World Series in four years?
Let us count the ways:
1. Timely hitting. And just enough of it. The Dodgers' margins of victory in their four NLCS wins: 12, 4, 2, 1. In Game 7, both Kiké Hernandez's and Cody Bellinger's ABs went like this:
pitch #5: foul
pitch #6: foul
pitch #7: foul
pitch #8: crucial HR
The Barves' pitching tightened up and somehow our bats, as Dr. Ian Malcolm might say, found a way.
2. Pitching. While our starters have been variable, the bullpen has been the best we've seen lately. Let's hope Clayton can go deep into tonight's game and preserve those relief arms.
3. De-fense! De-fense! De-fense!Mookie Betts! Justin Turner (above)! Defensive Runs Saved might not be as sexy a stat as, say, dingers, but it all adds up (or subtracts down).
4. Managing. Let's credit Dave Roberts when he pushes the right buttons. Our first two openers in Game 7 (Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin) weren't great but Doc made the adjustments to settle the pitching down. He PHed Kiké at the right time and trusted Julio Urías to finish the game. No Clayton or Kenley in sight.
5. Luck. Finally, that last ingredient that no amount of money can buy. In Game 7 it came in the form of the double TOOTBLAN courtesy of Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley. We suuuuuure could use a few more of those types of plays by the Rays.
Will this finally be our year? Will the small-market Rays triumph over our clever, moneyed overlords? In 1988, both the Lakers and Dodgers handled their business. 32 years later, we're thisclose to it happening again.
In the 14 years since starting this blog, there has not been a Dodgers manager whom I've wanted to win more than Dave Roberts. He is calm, cool, collected; cerebral, measured, thoughtful; effusive and unselfish in praise to his team and front office, while willing to take the blame from his team all along.
Roberts has always struck me as someone who wants to play the game the right way, win or lose. And there's an admirable nobleness in that pursuit. I've had the pleasure of meeting Roberts once, in a brief conversation on the field before a game. And he was every bit of class and personable nature and authenticity that I expected him to be.
Over Roberts' five years as Dodgers manager, particularly the heartbreaking unjust robberies of the 2017 and 2018 World Series, the narrative has shifted from a manager coping with teams lacking all the right pieces, to a manager unable to make the right decisions in the clutch situations. No matter that Houston was banging trash cans and likely buzzing under-jersey signals; or key reliable components to the engine deciding to falter or have that one off-day in exactly the wrong moment, dooming the team's chances. The burden and responsibility fell squarely on Roberts. And he took it.
After the loss in NLCS Game 4, I had also abandoned hope. It was a very flimsy argument to posit that Dave Roberts erred by putting Clayton Kershaw out there in the sixth inning, after Kershaw pitched one-run ball through five frames. Sure, maybe Kershaw could have been on a shorter leash in the sixth--Kershaw's ERA is 4.31 in the postseason vs. a 2.31 in the regular season, and Kershaw's postseason ERA from the sixth inning onwards is 7.31, the worst of a minimum of 20 innings in that scenario, according to ESPN. Maybe five innings is all that we should have asked of Kershaw, and we should have collected our chips then and just moved on.
But even though Roberts yanked Kershaw rather quickly, three batters into that fateful sixth inning, in a game where the Dodgers would ultimately lose 10-2 (evidencing more about issues with the bullpen, and the Dodgers' inability to solve Bryce Wilson, rather than Kershaw's shortcoming)--the talk was about whether Roberts should have ever let Kerhsaw trot out for the sixth in the first place. And yes, maybe Roberts himself left a slight crack open to second-guessers and Monday morning quarterbacks:
"I'm not going to take Clayton out after a weak ground ball and another ground ball off the bat of Freeman," Roberts said, adding that Ozuna's batted ball "wasn't hit very hard," even though it traveled at 108 mph.
"I felt really good with Clayton at that point in time."
So there you have it: Doc allowed what he was seeing in the game to color his opinion of how long to leave Kershaw in maybe longer than he should have. Maybe, right there with that admission, the leash was a millimeter too long. Which played to the crystallizing narrative that Roberts sometimes lets his emotional loyalties obscure the analytic objectivity required to make the tough decisions (also see: Jansen, Kenley).
Down 3-1 in a best-of-seven, we looked like toast. Fangraphs gave the Braves an 82.8% chance to win the NLCS. And, discouragingly, I started coming to grips that if the results were to play out as statistics were leaning, that there would be no other objective choice than to move in another managerial direction this off-season.
And this realization actually pained me, like a punch to the gut. I'm talking physical pain in my stomach, seriously.
Sure, I want the Dodgers to win. But I want Dave Roberts to win as well. And Clayton Kershaw. And Justin Turner. And all those guys in the clubhouse, especially those who have battled through self-doubt and admitted cheating and major injuries and boo birds and doubters and haters and mean people.
I want Dave Roberts to win.
So bad.
And now, we are going to the 2020 World Series, and we have a shot at all of that.
So before we get ahead of ourselves, I also want to take time to offically explode the narrative that Roberts' eyes are clouded by loyalty and appreciation of legends in his midst. We need to take the breath and recap how we got from down 3-1 to a World Series ticket.
Roberts' management of NLCS Game 5 was impressive, running a bullpen game and letting Will Smith and Corey Seager tee off to achieve a 7-3 victory. Roberts also allowed Kenley Jansen to work a three-strikeout ninth inning, in a non-save situation, to secure the victory in an elimination game, and boost Jansen's confidence knowing that we'd need it.
In NLCS Game 6, Roberts again managed to mastery, allowing the Dodgers' early strikes on Max Fried to hold up through a gutty Walker Buehler performance, but also making the right bullpen decisions in Blake Treinen (one ER), Pedro Baez for the eighth, and then Jansen again for the save in a three-batter ninth.
And then, for a culminating Game 7, Dave Roberts played a hand free of any aces and face cards, and still proceeded to run the table. Roberts' momentous and correct decisions in this game were multifold. Yanking Dustin May after one nervous inning (one might criticize the team for only informing May of his starting role hours before game time, but that's another topic altogether). Pulling the plug on Plan B, Tony Gonsolin, after two equally nerve-racking frames. Trusting Blake Treinen and Brusdar Graterol for three no-hit innings. And the biggest pitching decision of all, allowing Julio Urias to pitch the last three innings of no-hit ball to ice the game, and the series, for the Dodgers.
Which is not to forget the biggest decision on the other side of the game: pinch hitting Kike Hernandez for Joc Pederson to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. Hernandez' game-tying pinch-hit HR, an eight-pitch AB that bounced off the second deck, was a backbreaker.. (And later that evening, following Cody Bellinger's equally majestic go-ahead, game-winning HR to right, Hernandez was a shoulder-breaker, as well.)
And also, Roberts rightfully trusted crafty veterans like Justin Turner, whose 2020 postseason has paled in comparison with prior heroics, to make amazingly heady plays like the momentum-shifting fourth-inning double play. Or letting Mookie Betts--whose bat has also not yet risen to postseason stage expectations--shine like a supernova in right field with three straight nights of game-saving defensive web gems, ranging from shoestring catches turned double plays, to over-the-wall grabs to deny potential home runs.
Roberts is trusting Max Muncy, who even when not hitting to form, is grinding out key walks (Muncy had nine in the NLCS). And A.J. Pollock, whose 2019 postseason was disastrous but has come up big this year. And Corey Seager, 2020 NLCS MVP and postseason juggernaut, who is finally shining on the postseason stage after prior seasons of average performance. Even Bellinger, who has spent the entire 2020 season tinkering with his batting stance and approach (to mixed results), has been given patience in the six-hole--a strange spot for someone who won the MVP award last year--but obviously this trust paid off huge in Game 7, when Bellinger won the game for us with his solo shot.
The Dodgers win Game 7. We're going to the World Series, in improbable fashion. It's unbelievable.
Which brings us back to Dave Roberts. He made all the right decisions in Game 7. He did not allow allegiances to get in the way, forgoing a third-straight Jansen appearance in the ninth or a hail-mary feed to Kershaw in the late innings of a tense winner-take-all game. And we should take stock and acknowledge this, contradicting the narrative that has percolated of late.
This 2020 NCLS, Roberts rose to the moment. Sure, Roberts probably has more potent weapons on this year's team than in prior seasons. But it still takes a skilled operator to play to victory, not to mention victories in three straight elimination games.
And afterward, on stage, emotional and voice cracking, you could FEEL Roberts' understandable emotion about the game and series victory. (Go ahead and watch the video @ the top of the post. I'll wait.)
The very ingredient that many of us Dodger fans wished Roberts would exhibit less--emotion--was now on full display and it was wonderful to see. Roberts was able to channel it in Game 7 (if not Games 5 and 6, as well), not let emotion cloud his vision, and only let it out here at the end, on the post-game stage, accepting the Warren C. Giles National League Championship Trophy.
"This is OUR YEAR!", said Roberts. I sure as hell hope so.
But I'm so proud of Coach Roberts, and for everything he did for the team in this game, this series, this year--not to mention the four years before this. I really am grateful and thankful he's our manager.
Why it took the Dodgers THE ENTIRETY OF GAME 1 to figure this out is beyond me. Maybe it was the cold weather, maybe Dave Roberts had brain freeze from shotgunning a pregame Slurpee (Coca Cola flavor, natch), maybe...the Red Sox are simply the better team.
But hey! It’s not the better team that wins — it’s the team that plays better. And the 92-71 Dodgers, who beat the 96-67 Brewers to reach the World Series, have it in them to take Game 2. They just have to execute when they absolutely can't afford not to (which frankly seems to be the only time they do so).
Although Boston native Rich Hill seems a natural to start this game, Ryu gets the start to set Hill up for relief work in later games. Road Ryu (8.59 ERA, 2.05 WHIP) is def not preferable to Home Ryu (0.00 ERA, 0.57 WHIP) but dude, it's the World Series. Sack up, Hyun-Jin.
Listen: Dodger Stadium is unfortunately going to be packed with entitled Red Sox fans on Friday. It's gonna suck. Let's give them one less thing to cheer for.
This year, the Los Angeles Dodgers face the Boston Red Sox, a strongly-favored team with a gargantuan payroll who cruised through the regular season and first two rounds of the playoffs, backed by strong starting pitching. Sound familiar?
Barring any potential racist gestures in the impending playoff series, it's admittedly difficult to dislike the Red Sox, and nigh impossible to hate on Boston manager and former Dodger Alex Cora. Dodger manager Dave Roberts continues to be friends with Cora, as they were teammates in Los Angeles in 2004, and Roberts was the one of the first to congratulate Cora on his marathon 18-pitch AB in May 2004 (you can read the definitive story of Cora's marathon 18-pitch AB here).
This is the first World Series managed by two players who each played for both teams. And this is the first World Series helmed by two minority managers. This is pretty cool stuff, set before the context of two historic franchises.
But let's face it, the underdog Dodgers should be the one the baseball gods (if there are any) prefer. While Boston has rattled off three titles since 2004, you may have heard that the Dodgers have been without a championship since 1988.
But we've got momentum. Our Game 7 NLCS victory over the Brewers (on the road!) was thrilling, as we saw some dormant bats awaken (Yasiel Puig, Cody Bellinger), some young stars shine (Walker Buehler, Julio Urias), some veterans show poise (Kenley Jansen, Justin Turner, Clayton Kershaw), and some unsung heroes astonish (Chris Taylor). Oh, and we've got this guy, too, who will both confound and surprise (like with a bunt single that led to an unrelinquished lead). We've got a full head of steam here.
It's time for us to capture some of that October magic.
It's time for us to grab this narrative.
It's time for us to rise up.
LET'S GO, DODGERS.
So grab your drum set, set it up in the back of your pickup truck, and let's take a ride down the street at 5mph.
Do you have those dreams where you're trying to execute a basic task and somehow it becomes the biggest struggle in the world? I've dreamt that I'm trying to make a simple phone call yet my hands are moving like they're underwater and I keep punching the wrong numbers.
That's how watching Game 5 felt — in the late innings the Dodgers staged multiple miraculous comebacks to tie the game over and over yet they couldn't quite get over the hump and take the lead. Of course, the Astros seemed to take advantage of every opportunity they created.
I don't know how Dave Roberts does it, or the Dodger players for that matter. Five hours of YES NO YES NO AAAUGH JESUS and these guys are just playing the game like the professionals they are. And keeping their heads! — scoring eight runs from the 5th inning on.
I do know baseball pundits are calling this game one for the ages, but Dodger fans will remember this game as the one where Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen plain ran out of gas. The Dodgers staked Kershaw to a four-run lead and he ended up giving up six runs, all earned, and exiting in the 5th.
Kenley, in his second inning of work and needing just one more out to put the game into the 11th inning, went HBP, walk, single to give the Astros the win.
But we need to recognize the offensive heroes: Seager and Barnes had an RBI apiece; Bellinger had 4 RBIs, including a 3-run HR in the 5th; Puig hit a 2-run HR in the 9th and Taylor tied it up at 12 with an RBI single with the Dodgers down to their last strike.
Alas, it's the pitching that worries. Kershaw, toast. Kenley...toasty. Brandon Morrow talked his way into the game and gave up four runs in six pitches. If Rich Hill doesn't basically have perfecto stuff tomorrow, it's over. (Although if we somehow manage to force a Game 7, I like our chances with a rested Darvish.)
So: Get some rest, eat your Wheaties and join us tomorrow for one, or two, last game(s). And remember...
After five hours of not breathing, we have taken a breath and will say this:
WE GONNA CHEER FOR THE DODGERS LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER ON TUESDAY.
Inside the mind of Dave Roberts before the Yu Darvish walk.
Alex Wood (16-3, 2.72) vs. Jake Arrieta (14-10, 3.53)
#ThisTeam is one win away from its first World Series in twenty-nine years. Repeat: ONE. WIN. AWAY. It's so close, we can taste it. After years of tasting our own bile in October, this is a pretty nice palate cleanser. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. The work isn't done yet. One game at a time, as all the post-game interviews say. Alex Wood (Remember him?) gets the start to try to outlast SoSG nemesis Jake Arrieta. No, seriously, we irrationally hate that dude.
I can't even write a proper preview for what may happen tonight. My brain is completely scrambled, but, like, in a good way. I just want it to be 6:00 already so we can get this going.
A Game 4 with no need to run a short-rested Kershaw out there? How can this be? Everything about this postseason has been weird, but weird is working. Weird is winning. Weird is WONDERFUL.
When the lineup for NLCS Game 3 was posted, I have to admit I thought Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts was nuts.
Cody Bellinger batting second so Puig could bat cleanup Andre Ethier, in his first start this postseason, batting fifth? Chase Utley, in his second start this season, batting sixth? Joc Pederson, who didn't even make the NLDS roster, batting eighth? What the hell is going on here?
And sure enough, all of Roberts' crazy moves paid off. Well, almost all of them: Ethier went 2-for-4 with a HR, and protected Puig, who went 2-for-5; Pederson went 1-for-3 with a run scored after hitting a double; only Utley went 0-for-3 and is hitless in this postaseaon.
But even the Utley thing could be tolerated (not only because we're down an infielder, with Corey Seager out for the NLCS), when Dave Roberts had the tactical cojones to bat Yu Darvish for himself in the top of the sixth, with two out and the bases loaded. Instead of substituting a pinch hitter, Roberts sent Darvish up to the plate. Darvish was 1-for-17 lifetime (.059 BA) with 14Ks. Darvish has a career OPS+ of 8. Darvish has one total base in his entire career.
But Darvish did some crazy bunt-feigning mime act up there at the plate, and on four straight pitches, Cubs pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. walked Darvish. The Dodgers stretched a 3-1 lead to a 4-1 lead with the bases-loaded walk, and from then on, Wrigley Field (to quote a tweet from Alanna Rizzo) quickly became a morgue.
Charlie Culberson was at the plate when, after feebly striking out, he watched Cubs catcher Wilson Contreras lose the ball of his bicep (that's why they give catchers that big glove, by the way) and scampered to first to extend the inning, allowing Logan Forsythe to score. Kyle Farmer, he of the 20 AB across his full career, came in to pinch hit and had a sac fly to score Austin Barnes and make it 6-1 LA.
Unbelievable, this Roberts guy. Every move he makes seems to yield dividends.
IN DOC WE TRUST.
But the unsung hero of this game, however, was not Darvish and his game-winning line (6.1 IP, 1 ER, 7 Ks and 1 BB, and 1 RBI), nor Chris Taylor and his HR + triple night, nor even Roberts the genius himself.
No, that honor goes to me, and here's why.
Up 6-1 in the bottom of the ninth, Roberts went to Ross Stripling, who gave up the bullpen's first hit this whole NLCS and got into trouble when Alex Avila singled and Albert Almora Jr. followed with a ground-rule double that got stuck in the Wrigley ivy. The Chicago crowd started to stir. A HR from Addison Russell would make it 6-4 with none out.
Roberts, wisely, went to Kenley Jansen.
SoSG Sax, even more wisely, moved from the large living room television back to the smaller kitchen television, where the first eight innings of the game were watched and where the Dodgers were rolling.
Clearly, the change in television and room choices at the start of the ninth inning was not working for the Dodgers. So, sure, Jansen came in and got Russell to pop to first, and then Tommy La Stella and Ian Happ to strike out, ending the game. But the move back to the kitchen, when Stripling exited and Jansen entered, was a critical move and a tactical stroke of brilliance that will be discussed in history books forever more. Yeah, Roberts and Jansen had something to do with the Dodgers' preserving the victory, putting the team up 3-0 in the NLCS.
But we all know who really won the game last night for us.
Dave Roberts says the Dodgers won't jump in the Chase Field pool if they win, but there's always this....
Yu Darvish vs Zack Greinke.
Yeah, we may be getting ahead of ourselves in dreaming of pool antics, but what a huge freakin relief it is to be in this position, up 2-0 in the NLDS, after getting shellacked in our last six regular-season games against the Snakes.
How did we do it? Above-average starting pitching — your turn, Yu Darvish. Offensive production from the top of the lineup in Game 1 and the bottom half in Game 2 — how about some Wonder Twin power uniting tonight, guys? Oh, and more defense like in Game 2 (zero errors) rather than Game 1 (2 errors).
Listen: Old friend Zack isn't going to roll over for his old team, so let's hope we take a page from the Rockies' playbook and chase him early. Nine more victories!
I was at the game last night and saw the Dodgers finish off the sweep of the Mets with a 6-3 victory. The post-game wrapup focuses on Joc Pederson's tie-breaking HR to lead off the bottom of the seventh, making it 4-3 LA. However, from my perspective, the play of the game came later that inning, when Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made a bold gamble that totally paid off.
As that frame continued, with the Dodgers up 4-3 and two out, Kike Hernandez walked to load the bases (Logan Forsythe had singled; Chris Taylor had walked). Up came Pedro Baez, who got Wilmer Flores to ground out and end the top of the inning, and therefore had only pitched one out.
This would have been a good time to put in a pinch-hitter for Baez, so we could go to another reliever. Instead, Roberts let Baez, who does not have a single hit in his entire major league career, come to the plate. Mets pitcher Jerry Blevins, who had already gotten Cody Bellinger out for the second out of the inning, may have been rattled by walking Hernandez. If so, Roberts somehow knew it, and rubbed it in the Mets' face by sending up a relief pitcher in that situation.
Baez then earned a four-pitch walk to walk home the Dodgers' fifth run. And Blevins was so flustered, he proceeded to walk Austin Barnes right after than, stoking LA to a 6-3 lead. Terry Collins had seen enough then, and replaced Blevins with Fernando Salas to get Yasiel Puig to ground out. But the damage was done. The Mets didn't get any closer than that.
The Mets are obviously struggling, 12 games out of first in the NL East, having allowed 15 HR in the four-game series with the Dodgers, and a number of their stars on the disabled list. But Roberts' bravado to make that call in this game was about as insulting, and incredible, a call as you could imagine. Almost 20 hours later, I remain blown away at what a brilliant call that was to leave Baez in the game.
Not often that the Sons of Steve Garvey will reference Julie Andrews. But after Rich Hill's most recent outing, a 2.2 IP showing in NLDS Game 5 (which had 3 H and 1 ER against 2 BBs and 6 Ks), it was awesome to see a different Rich Hill in the NLCS, as he made the Cubs' medicine go down without any spoonfuls of sugar. Dodgers take a 2-1 lead in the NLCS.
Hill's NLCS Game 3 line: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, and again 2 BB and 6 Ks. "Filthy Rich", is what mlb.com called him. "Pitched a gem", said Deadspin. "Owning the Cubs", explained Fox Sports (click through for Hill with the "title belt"). Indeed, it was a great outing for Hill, who got out of a key jam in the second (Cubs had one out and two RISP; more on this in a second) for arguably his best start as a Dodger.
Here's a couple of videos recapping Hill's night:
Now, let's get back to why there were two RISP in the first place. Anthony Rizzo led off the second inning with a walk, and then with one out, stole second base (Jorge Soler walked anyway). And then with Addison Russell batting, Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal had a passed ball, allowing both runners to advance.
I was not watching the game at this time--I was listening to the game on radio--but Rick and Charley seemed to indicate that the PB was due to Grandal's attempt to frame the ball, rather than a true passed ball; Monday described the pitch as very "catchable." And at this point, I lost it on Grandal, who had been hitless in the NLCS after batting a meager .125 in the NLDS vs. Washington--the worst average of any regular starter in the Dodgers' lineup. How many runs was Yaz going to cost us? Why is Grandal so concerned about sign stealing, instead of catching the damn ball? When was Grandal going to get his shit together and start playing?
Well, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Yasmani Grandal finally showed up.
This HR stretched the lead from 1-0 (on a Corey Seager RBI in the third, scoring Andrew Toles from second) to 3-0 (Grandal's HR scored Josh Reddick as well), and seemed to put a little more wind in the sails of the Dodgers. Sure, Grandal took a little too long admiring his shot from the plate. But of all the times to start hitting, this was a good one. Welcome back, Grandal. Now I understand why Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been behind you all postseason.
And then there's Jake Arrietta, last year's Cy Young award winner, who left the game in the sixth immediately after yielding a leadoff HR to Justin Turner:
On top of this, the Dodgers struck against the Cubs' bullpen (specifically, Mike Montgomery, in the eighth). The Dodgers added two more runs when Joc Pederson doubled home Yasiel Puig for a run (Puig, who singled with one out, was going on the pitch and scored with ease), and Grandal sacrificed Pederson home (Pederson stole third base in Grandal's AB).
And those are remarkable scoring opportunities as well, especially since Pederson (1-for-4) is now batting .182 in this NLCS; Grandal, even with a 1-for-3 / 2-run HR night, is still batting .167 this series; Puig, who went 2-for-2 thanks in part to a deflected infield single (off of Cubs P Travis Wood) that again showed Puig's hustle, is up to .286. All three of those guys need to start getting in their grooves as well, and maybe, just maybe, this Game 3 gives them some confidence from the plate.
[By the way, who is this new Yasiel Puig kid? Could it be that Dave Roberts, by relegating Puig to a backup role, has started to learn humility as a role player who needs to deliver performance rather than histrionics? Even Puig is sobra la importancia del juego 4; Puig sobre la clave de hoy y la importancia de asegurar la serie en casa:
Puig's change is probably not a permanent transformation by any stretch, but it is cool to watch.]
(Howie Kendrick, who has been coming off the bench due to Andrew Toles' hot hand (Toles is batting .500), is still without a hit this series. As is Chase Utley. Who starts and bats leadoff.)
Also of note, with regards to offense: Corey Seager, who entered the game 0-for-23 after the first inning this postseason, went 3-for-4 (single in the first, on schedule; but then RBI single in the third to get the Dodgers on the board; K in the sixth; and then single in the seventh). If Seager can keep hitting all game long, that's a good sign.
"We're not hitting the ball hard," Maddon said after the 6-0 loss. "Obviously, I have no solid explanation."
No one does.
When an offense slumps, particularly its stars, finding a reason can be as tough as finding the solution. One thing feels certain: The number of players slumping at once isn't a coincidence -- and it's not all about Dodger pitching."I think it's our hitting," Dexter Fowler (.179) said. "We've hit the best of the best. The past few days we just haven't been doing it."
But why? That's what every Cubs fan wants to know. Why now? They can't buy a big hit -- they were shut out in back-to-back games for the first time since May 2014 and now trail 2-1 in their best-of-seven series. The slump could not have come at a worse time.
"Offensively, we haven't executed and put it all together and passed the baton," Chris Coghlan said. "We have to have more productive at-bats. There's not one solution."
If you're keeping track, the Cubs haven't scored since they rocked Wrigley Field in the eighth inning of Game 1 with Miguel Montero's grand slam followed by a Fowler solo shot. That feels like ages ago; the Cubs have managed six hits since then, including just four on Tuesday.
Maybe Game 3 changes if Russell comes through after Dodgers starter Rich Hill opened the door for a rally by walking two batters in the second. A passed ball moved them up a base, but the man who came through in the clutch so often this season has done anything but during the playoffs. Russell struck out -- granted it was on a nasty curveball -- and the offense did little the rest of the game. Hill was good; Cubs' hitting was not. That's the storyline of the postseason so far.
"One you get something on the board, you're like let's roll," Coghlan said. "Then it is contagious. We can pretend like it's not, but it is."
It's contagious both ways, and unfortunately for the Cubs, everything is working against them. It seems that Kris Bryant (.357) is the only batter who's having a good playoffs. Even Javier Baez came back to Earth, showing some shakiness in the field and going 0-for-4 at the plate.
I would argue that it is indeed about Dodger pitching: Clayton Kershaw with a masterful performance in Game 2, followed by Hill's performance in Game 3, both punctuated by scoreless Kenley Jansen outings each longer than the traditional one-inning closer role. Sure, there's pressure on Arrietta and the Cubs. The LAT's Dylan Hernandez says the Cubs are choking.
I wouldn't go that far. It's a razor-thin 2-1 series lead.The Cubs aren't panicking. And I'm confident that the Cubs will start figuring it out as well (possibly tonight, against Julio Urias, who will be the youngest pitcher ever to start a postseason game), and not leave Kris Bryant (.357) as the Cubs' only batter who seems grooved (and even Bryant struck out swinging with Dexter Fowler on second in the top of the eighth).
"They're going to react to how I'm going to react," Maddon said. "I've always believed that. I've always thought, for me, regardless of the situation, that I have to be consistent when I walk into the room. They have to see consistency from me, which hopefully they're going to be able to do. But beyond that, man, like I said, there is not a whole lot to do except come out and play again tomorrow."
After scoring 6 runs or more in a game, the Dodgers are 24-47 in the following game, and only 15-15 when facing the same team. So that's basically 50-50 odds. However, the bats tend to get quieter in the next game: after scoring 6+ runs in one game, the Dodgers would follow up with another 6+ run game only 19% of the time (9/47). So unfortunately, Urias will likely have less run support tonight. [This paragraph is from the SoSG stat department / cursory baseballreference.com check, so it may not be fully accurate.]
Anyway, these games could literally tip either way, and as incredible as a 3-1 lead would be, a 2-2 split with at least one guaranteed game back at Wrigley Field sounds deflating. We need to build upon Game 3's momentum and make sure the bats keep rolling.
In the longest nine-inning game in MLB postseason history, the Dodgers beat the heavily-favored Washington Nationals on the road, besting the Nats' ace with an incredible patchwork of pitchers and unconventional lineup changes. I would call this the best Dodgers playoff game I have ever watched, but the truth is, I couldn't peek between my fingers for some of the ABs because I could feel my heart beating in my throat. But here's some of the scenes I do remember (along with plenty of links representing some, but not all, of the reading I did on this in the past 24 hours):
Joc Pederson's unlikely HR led him to run some of the basepath with his batting helmet over his eyes. Sure, Pederson ended the series with a .333 batting average and 3 RBI, and a 1.044 OPS. Though Pederson had 25 HR this year, his .246 BA (and 130 Ks--down from an astronomical 170 last year) always makes me disappointed in Pederson, as if the Home Run Derby potential is not going to materialize for us.
That said, Joc's big blast in Game 5 shut me up. It not only rejuvenated the Dodgers clubhouse and knocked Max Scherzer out of the game (arguably prematurely, but you can blame Dusty Baker for that), his trot around the bases, plus the fire and brimstone roaring as he came back to the dugout, really sparked the team from the dead.
Jayson Werth getting nailed at the plate was also big. All the talk here was about how Nats 3B coach Bobby Henley was foolish to send Werth home, given the lineup after him (Daniel Murphy was on deck), and the fact that LF Andrew Toles had the ball when Werth was at third. But I would argue that it was Baker's pitching choices in the seventh that doomed the Nationals, not so much momentum that carried from the bottom of the sixth.
Justin Turner is a force. The two-run triple in the seventh was huge, stoking the Dodgers to a 4-1 lead when Nats CF Trea Turner (and all his ballyhooed speed) couldn't catch up to Turner's long fly ball off the wall. But Justin Turner's 13-pitch AB in the fourth inning was the one that got Scherzer derailed, not to mention his pitch count inflated. That was classic JT ball right there, and as Buster Olney said, Turner stands to benefit:
Turner's 13-pitch at-bat against Max Scherzer in Game 5 was a crossroad in the game because it did two things: slowed Scherzer's momentum, and accelerated his decline. This was not a case of a hitter nicking pitches and merely staying alive; Turner was on everything. Scherzer was throwing 96-97 mph, had a great changeup and his wipeout slider, and he could not get the ball by the Dodgers' third baseman.
When the at-bat began, Scherzer was in control of the game, and by the end of the at-bat, Scherzer and the Nationals were damaged -- and it was Turner who delivered the big hit later in the game, a two-run triple against Shawn Kelley.
Turner is hitting .400 this postseason, with a .591 on-base percentage and .733 slugging percentage. He has a .444 batting average and a 1.295 OPS in his postseason career, and half of his 16 postseason hits are extra-base hits.
On Saturday, he becomes the problem of Jon Lester and the other Cubs pitchers. He's also a free agent in a few weeks and is going to make lot of money.
I still can't figure out Josh Reddick. Sure, he got the first hit of the game off of Scherzer. But when he plays right field like this, turning fly balls into heart attacks (and then acting nonchalantly like nothing happened), it's concerning!
Kenley Jansen dug deep. A career-high 51 pitches across three innings and seven outs? Unbelievable. Also hilarious was when the whole Dodgers infield gathered on the mound, and Kenley towered over everyone like a giant among men.
Broadcast line of the night was something about the in-game summary chyron being woefully insufficient to capture the drama of this epic game: "It's like reading the Cliff Notes for 'War and Peace'." If we could only have more lines like this, and fewer yips from Harold Reynolds about Julio Urias committing uncalled balks, that would be great. (Lots of loud blather from a talking head with a past history of alleged sexual assaults. Storyline sound familiar?)
Clayton Kershaw earned the save, and the Dodgers' only wins in this series came when Kershaw pitched. Finally, October is good for Clayton, the best pitcher in baseball.
Last but not least, Dave Roberts is a madman, and a genius. It was a crazy chess match last night, and I couldn't breathe for like the last two hours of that game. But from the moment Roberts yanked Rich Hill in the third inning to bring on Joe Blanton, with all of us knowing that Julio Urias was also scheduled to pitch in this game, one realized that Roberts was going to be unconventional. And I've got to hand it to Roberts, his moves paid off. Earlier in the season, Roberts' moves thoroughly confused me, as he was trying to get a handle on this team while injuries beset us at a record pace. But putting in Jansen in the seventh inning was a stroke of brilliance. As was Kershaw in the ninth.
As was Austin Barnes pinch running for Yasmani Grandal (who has been awful this series, by the way); Barnes scored the go-ahead second run during our seventh-inning rally. As was Howie Kendrick PH for Andrew Toles in the seventh; Toles looked a little lost at the plate last night, and Kendrick singled and scored the Dodgers' third run (on the JT triple).
In fact, the only move of Doc Roberts that didn't work was swapping in Charlie Culberson, who entered the game to do a sacrifice bunt but failed miserably, and then was forced to play the remainder of the game (Culberson went 0-for-2 with a team-high 4 LOB). It lost Chase Utley from our lineup too early. But then, I suppose Utley (the Game 4 hero) is only batting .188 this series, so maybe it's not so bad of a call.
3/27 vs. AZ (W, 6-4): AC
4/11 vs. TEX (W, 8-7): Sax
5/11 vs. SF (L, 3-9): Sax
5/25 vs. COL (W, 5-3): Sax
6/11 @ PIT (W, 8-6): Sax
6/15 vs. TB (W, 4-3): Nomo
7/4 vs. SD (W, 3-0): Orel, Sax
