Unfortunately, the Dodger hitters did not execute.
As good as Mookie Betts was in Game 5 of the NLDS, he stunk it up last night. Chris Taylor committed an unforgivable base-running blunder and I want to remind all the IDIOTS that wanted to get rid of Cody Bellinger that they are just that: IDIOTS! See, I took a lot of flack from fans (some of whom have left this blog because they called me an idiot for defending Bellinger and Roberts). This is Payback for that! Mookie Betts leads the Dodgers in Post Season Batting Average at .380. Cody Bellinger is 2nd at .333 with a .400 OB%.
It does piss me off that you IDIOTS (and you know who you are) maligned Cody for his play and me for saying he would come back from his .165 hitting woes! Can you tell I am mad? Actually, this rant is mostly directed to some IDIOT called 48Hodges or some such thing. (Not to be confused with Hodges54) I am calling him an IDIOT because that is what he called me. OK, now I will stop. It’s a Good Morning and the Dodgers will be just fine.
Love it or hate it, the Bullpen game was effective. Everyone who pitched yesterday should be ready today. No pitcher is gassed.. and that includes ATL’s bullpen. The Dodgers bullpen struck out 14 and did not issue a walk! Man does it hurt to waste such a performance! I had thought that Doc might have used Kenley to pitch the 9th since he had only thrown 8 pitches in the 8th inning, but I think he was sticking to the the script, which was to make everyone available today. Blake Treinen doesn’t mess up much, but when he does… it hurts. Maybe once a month… OK – we have that out of the way. Do you remember when certain people on this blog lost their minds because “Andrew Friedman doesn’t know how to build a bullpen?” The only “bull” involved was on their side. I assured you it would be OK.. Settle Down! š
Ossie Albies stole second in the 9th inning with 1 out, which led to Riley’s game-ending hit. When CT3 walked, there were 2 outs, so unless you are someone faster than Chris Taylor, I do not believe it is wise to try and steal 2B with 2 outs in the 9th. You don’t want to be the last out of the game, caught stealing. Joc Pederson charged the ball and make a quick throw to 2B. I have watched the video three times and it is my opinion that a good relay throw from the second baseman would have gotten CT3 at 3B. Dino had the stop sign up as CT3 came around 2nd. He was just slow to recognize it. It was another nice hit by Cody Bellinger – he is getting his confidence back (which was obviously shattered) by just doing the “little things” right now.
Game over! Today is a must-win and the Dodgers face a righty in Ian Anderson. Lux and Belli will be in the lineup. I wonder if Barnes starts at Catcher? Now, they have to play at least 5 games, The Dodgers were behind the Braves in the series last year and came back – They will do it again.
P.S. Will Smith is the best catcher in the NL… maybe the best in baseball – Right Behind Yasmani Grandal š (that was for Bear).
P.S. 2 – No IDIOTS were harmed in the production of this blog!
Loved the A team. They were clutch and clutch is everything.
Too bad Dodgers hitters were everything but that last night.
Golden opportunity missed to steal that game vs their ace.
Once again our offense proved to be inconsistent and sporadic.
Not a must win game today but close to it.
Go Dodgers!
Well, I hate bullpen games and openers. But, I can’t deny that it should have resulted in a win last night. They all pitched pretty well and what was the alternative?
Does Tony G just suck in the postseason, or was he really rusty? He gave up more hard hit balls than a dominatrix party at a gay bar. Ouch!
Alright, Albert was a nice story. But, I’d much rather have Belli playing full time from here on out. Same with CT3. I know you like your platoons, just go ahead and do that with Pollock and Lux at this point. Let Albert come off the bench.
Two mistakes cost us the game. That wild pitch by Knebel and the baserunning blunder by CT3.
Treinen has given up more cheap hits this year than anyone I’ve even seen. It seems like the only times he’s given up any runs it was a bloop, bleader, or a ground ball through the shift.
So much for “we hit we win”. 10 hits and a walk and you only come up with 2 runs? Come on, man!
I disagree entirely about CT3. He was well past second base when Pederson came up with the ball and Joc was just trying to prevent Belli from advancing. The ball was low and not easy to handle for a relay and would have needed a perfect throw to make it close at third.
It was ironic that you hold out Belli against a lefty, then you’re forced to use him against a lefty and he comes up with a big hit. Just go with the hot player.
It’s crazy that we started the season with about 20 options for starting pitcher and we find ourselves with just 3 in the postseason.
I think it’s about time Tony G makes a permanent move to the pen starting next year. He’s had shoulder issues in two of the last three years and doesn’t seem capable of going 6.
I was really hoping of a reemergence of David Price this year. I might be inclined to do him like Homer Bailey next year and just cut bait. Can you really include him in plans next year after his very mediocre season this year?
Alright, it was just one game. Let’s take one here and sweep the home series and end this early. Let’s go Dodgers!
I totally agree with you B and P, this game was totally winnable, Atlanta has too much respect for us in the key plays of the game we executed as a team with a record of 100 losses, well today we recover, come on Dodgers.
Great opener to start the series albeit a loss, plenty of hits last night to win, just a game of missed opportunities plus CT3’s base running blunder, just curious as to why Roberts threw Jansen ahead of Treinen, any thoughts?
They’ve been using Treinen against the heart of the lineup all year. He’s also very good against lefties.
It was sad to have such a terrifically pitched BP game go to waste (again). But, to look on the positive side they were effective against the Brave hitters (Freeman 4 k’s) and none were extended so they should all be available for todays game if necessary. With Scherzer pitching he should be able to eat up some innings.
The Dodgers got plenty of hits, but had a difficult time getting the timely ones to drive in some runs. If Fried is their ace then I’m looking forward to the remaining games being in the Dodgers favor offensively. Besides the 8 hits they got off Fried they had several hard hit balls against him.
I don’t know why JT is hitting in the four hole right now. He and his swing look tired. I’ve never seen him take so many down the middle strikes. And, then chases pitches out of the strike zone. Maybe, move him down to the 6-7 spot until he gets back on track?
Cody Bellinger ā he is getting his confidence back (which was obviously shattered) by just doing the ālittle thingsā right now.
That’s what I’ve been commenting on most of the season with Cody’s approach. I hope this experience of him doing a lot of little things right now shows him that it can lead to some “big things” for the team. Just try to make contact and give yourself the chance to do something to help the team win. It’s not all about 500′ HRs. This positive reinforcement of the changes in his swing and approach will help the team now, but hopefully help him in the offseason to get back to MVP form for 2022.
Dave Roberts was an average ball player at best. The Dodger organization thought that made him Tommy Lasorda. Idiots. Itās not everyday that a sports organization pats itself on back for winning one World Series in 32 years.
Sam, In case you did not know, the Dodgers’ current owners bought the team in May of 2012. Starting the next year, they made the playoffs every season, gotten to the World Series three times, and won it once. They should have won it twice, but they have the best record in baseball over that stretch and Dave Roberts has the best manager record in baseball.
You are correct that Dave Roberts was an average player at best. The Dodgers have gotten to the playoffs every year with Dave Roberts. The most they ever got to the playoffs with Tommy was two years in a row.
What are you trying to say? Were you talking to yourself?
MLB is a huge corporate concern. The Dodgers management isnāt patting itself on the back for winning championships, they are congratulating each other for pushing the value of the franchise to near $4 billion. This organization makes a lot of money.
Dave Roberts wins games and puts butts in seats. Heās the perfect guy for what it is the Dodgers are hoping to accomplish, and that is simply to keep making money.
I agree that CT was going to be out at third. Pederson was charging hard and had the ball with Taylor just a few steps past second. Taylor should have just pulled up at second. Terrible base running blunder in a playoff game, and done with Betts is coming up. Wild pitch, doink single (that I believe Bellinger catches) stolen base when everyone knows heās going, we score only 2, 1 for 8 WRISP, we have losses that look something like this a lot. Hopefully in a 7 game series we donāt do it again. We hit we win,we donāt hit we donāt win. Move Turner down and Pollock up. Trea Turner still shows signs of being a bit checked out. He often plays like a great athlete with a learning disability.
Put this in the rear view. Weāre the better team. Play like it and we will beat these guys.
We’ll never know if Taylor would have been safe or out (I say safe), but we should all agree that stopping between 2nd and 3rd was idiotic.
I think he could have come safely if he kept running without hesitation, because the relief shot went high to third baseman who was way ahead of the cushion.
Heās out by 10ā
I’ve watched the replay several times this morning. He was well past the cutout when Joc got the ball in his glove. It would have been close if Joc made a perfect throw to third. He didn’t. There is now way in hell do they get Taylor on a relay throw.
Last night our hitting sucked so tonight we feast!!!
BTW, Mark. Great song choice. Damn, what a duo… āŗ
For the record I was never a Bellinger basher because I know what he is capable of doing.
For the record I was a bullpen basher for the first half of the season or so until the emergence of Vesia and Bickford and Knebel’s successful return and Jansen apparently figuring out his mechanic problems. Yes Mark was right when he said during the first half of the season that the bullpen will get better. I was a skeptic about that during the first half of the season.
One thing that I have noticed is that if the Dodgers score 4 or 5 runs they win. I gotta give credit to the pitching staff for keeping the team in the game.
I’m sitting at home with a grocery bag over my head watching the Indianapolis Colts.
Try plastic.
Good one rudy.
The old saying is ‘yesterday is history, today is opportunity while tomorrow is mystery’…
That being said, I’m feeling good knowing were following up with Max, Walker and Julio toeing the rubber for the next three…
Damn I can’t help, wedged amongst some good baseball takes we get this:
Does Tony G just suck in the postseason, or was he really rusty? He gave up more hard hit balls than a dominatrix party at a gay bar. Ouch!
Tony G is Rusty. It has been a tough year for him, but his future is bright!
Some people just need to take their meds.
Failed attempt at being funny peter. I hadnāt read it until you mentioned it, then I searched for it. Sorry I did.
Don’t cancel Dave Chappelle or Pete.
Cancel?
The colts might win today.
Never miss an opportunity to passive aggressively throw shade on someone AND signal your moral rectitude. It’s a win/win without having to have the courage to take an actual stand.
Only current Brave with a lot of history with Scherzer is Freeman. He has 3 dingers and a OPS over .800 against Max. But Anderson, their pitcher, has not lost a postseason game in his career yet. Granted, he has not been in the majors all that long. But score quick, and put the pressure on. Their situational hitting yesterday was not the best, and the big stars came up empty in the biggest moments. They got hits going the other way. They should use that strategy again. I do not expect Betts to go ofer again. I do think they need to drop Turner down in the lineup, plus, they hit better with Corey in the two hole. Lux and Bellinger should be back in there tonight. Oh, quit taking so many pitches right down the pipe. It is really irritating and frustrating watching guys take balls right in the zone and never even moving their bats. Then they will chase a worm killer and strike out.
Itās fastballs down the middle taken that bug me. Turner does it every at bat. Seager on the other hand swings at sliders 4ā outside on the first pitch. Neither approach is how to work the count. If Justin would jump that get over fastball once in a while heās less likely to be hitting behind in the count every freakin at bat.
Sorry Badger, I wasn’t trying to be funny!! Just quoting BP…
Yeah, I know Pete. Thatās what I meant when I said I had to search for it. I hadnāt seen it as I often donāt read all of BPās compositions. Iām fine with your takes.
You didn’t even chuckle? You must be the life of the party.
They are very offended. They want everyone to know just how offended they are.
https://rmfw.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/clutching-Pearls.jpg
Embracing the soy diet while sittle cross legged.
JT not in the line-up tonight. Has Doc seen enough of his poor offensive performance or is there an injury to be concerned about?
We may never know.
Our offense so far. Two big games and 3-0-0-2-2. Our WS hopes rests on their bats. Wake up or go home!
Ballsy move by Doc to sit your team captain but it had to be done. Canāt wait for someone to break out of a slump in the post season as each and every AB in every inning is huge.
Tonight’s winning lineup:
RF Mookie Betts R
SS Corey Seager L
2B Trea Turner R
C Will Smith R
CF Gavin Lux L
3B Chris Taylor R
1B C. Bellinger L
LF AJ Pollock R
P Max Scherzer R
Hopefully, the day off will help JT get on track. They need the captain to get back to providing some clutch hits. Taylor @ 3B?
In reference to the question above, JT is sitting because he has a “stinger” (hadn’t heard that term before with regard to a neck problem) and can’t turn his head to the right. Started a couple days ago. Expected back in the lineup for Game 3.
They used it when Taylor’s neck was mucked up. I guess I got a stinger in my lower back today.
Apparently you guys never played football
https://www.sports-health.com/sports-injuries/head-and-neck-injuries/stinger-injuries-what-know
We had helmets and pads when I played.
Given Bellinger’s big swings, a worrisome injury history, and his about $17M salary combined with all the other extensions and free agent decision, I was ready to trade Bellinger but only for a good return.
Bellinger finally found a swing, stance, and grip on the bat (choking up) that gives me hope that he will earn his salary.
If any other player struggled as much as Bellinger has there is a good chance that a few timely singles would make anybody say he was back.
My take on Taylor is that he rounded first thinking he could make it to third and then saw Joc closing the distance he would have to make his throw and changed his mind. I think Joc charged the ball and was set to make the throw to third and somewhere early in his throwing motion, after seeing Taylor stop, was able to make his throw go to second. A good heads up play that was not an easy one to make. A little Joctober in that play.
One of my favorite things about Taylor is his total honesty and taking responsibility of his mistakes. He said he made a bad decision stopping. I admire that about him, and no matter where he ends up, he has been a valuable asset to this team.
āIt was just a bad read,ā Taylor told reporters after the game. āI saw it barely got over (Ozzie) Albies’ head, and I thought I could get to third. I didn’t realize Joc (Pederson) had it that quick and tried to stop. I should have kept going.ā
Yeah. Bad read.
From ESPN:
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32419545/major-league-baseball-require-teams-provide-housing-minor-league-players-starting-2022-sources-say
That is great news. According to the article, The total cost for a team to house all minor league players at home for one season, according to two executives whose teams had explored doing so before the league pursued its mandate, is less than $1 million.
Walker Buehler
Julio Urias
Clayton Kershaw
Max Scherzer
Blake Treinen
Kenley Jansen
Trevor Bauer
Jimmy Nelson
David Price
Joe Kelly
Corey Knebel
Mitch White
Phil Bickford
Dustin May
Tony Gonsolin
Brusdar Graterol
Alex Vesia
Evan Phillips
Justin Bruihl
Andrew Vasquez
Victor Gonzalez
Edwin Uceta
Andre Jackson
Neftali Feliz
Conner Greene
Yefry Ramirez
Kevin Quackenbush
Justin Turner
Jake Reed
Scott Alexander
Andy Burns
Jimmie Sherfy
Mike Kickham
Dennis Santana
Shane Greene
Josiah Gray
Darien Nunez
Garrett Cleavinger
Nate Jones
I was actually shocked to look at the number of players who have pitched for the Dodgers this year. Jimmie Sherfy ? Who the hell is that? I don’t even remember that guy.
I’m glad that the Dodgers bullpen is rock solid. I give the front office credit for making it happen. However, any criticisms contributors on this blog had about the bullpen midseason wasn’t because we were “idiots,” but because the evidence in front of us suggested that, indeed, the bullpen wasn’t very good.
I don’t mind the Dodgers going through every pitcher they can find until they find a gem or two (Bickford), but is having extended tryouts until mid August the most efficient way to do it? Having a mediocre bullpen for 3/4 of the year – and it was mediocre – resulted in the Dodgers not winning the division. Now we’re playing the Braves on the road.
Bellinger has not been very good since the 2nd half of 2019. How many plate appearances is that? How many data points do we need to recognize that, indeed, he hasn’t been very good. Are we not supposed to point that out for some reason? Yes, I’m glad he’s gotten a couple of hits in the playoffs and I hope it continues, but the – “See! he got a hit! Forget the two years of suckage! You’re all IDIOTS!” – line of reasoning I find less than persuasive.
‘
You evidently didn’t read all the comments where I was called an idiot, so maybe you can’t grasp the nuance… but for the record, Bellinger dislocated his shoulder a couple of times in 2019 and again in 2020. Then he had surgery in the offseason before 2021, followed by a litany of injuries. I think you overstate that he wasn’t very good in the second half of 2019, His OPS was .917 in the second half of 2019 (superstar status). Of course, that paled in comparison to the 1.124 OPS that he put up in the first half.
Heās finally made some adjustments. Heās making contact. His power isnāt back, may not be for months, but he isnāt an automatic out now. Mark is right, to say he was not good the second half of ā19 is just wrong. He OPSād over .900 every month but Sept/Oct and that was .891.
Well he had a good swing in his last at bat. Hit the ball hard.
Keep at it!
Why is Joc wearing a pearl necklace? Is that a promo for the roman sponsorship?
Well his wife s pregnant again
Not sure, but he did quote Jackie Onassis- “Pearls are always appropriate. ”
Ok then. I guess it helps. That shot made it to the upper deck.
3 innings, 4 runners left on base. I hope it is not the same story as yesterday, because 2 runs are not enough
Yes. Lux AB was horrible.
Scherzer had a perfect game going into the 7th as I remember in the 2016 playoffs against the Dodgers and was leading 1 – 0 and then this happened:
https://youtu.be/LBHM4NBsWSc
Keep scoring runs Dodgers.
Belli is sooooo close
Joc Ʈs just money against the righties.
Just like Kike against the lefties!
Scherzer had a perfect game going into the 7th as I remember in the 2016 playoffs against the Dodgers and was leading 1 ā 0 and then this happened:
https://youtu.be/LBHM4NBsWSc
Keep scoring runs Dodgers.
now the game looks so hard
As I said above we need to score 4 or 5 runs to win even with Scherzer. So the offense needs to get going and score a few more runs.
TT is just lost up there. Swinging at so many balls out of the zone!
He looks like heās choking. It was good to see him get a couple hits last night but in the big moment last night he failed.
Itās frustrating that Minter was having trouble throwing strikes and yet our hitters helped him out by swinging at pitches out of the zone.
Wow I donāt like the decision to take out Scherzer this early in the game.
I donāt either. Itās not like heās struggling like the WC game.
But it was probably part of The Script.
3rd time through the order. Can’t have that under any circumstances.
Is this one of those games where the Dodgers score early and then just STOP scoring? Happens all too often.
We have Betts on first with one out. The count is 3-2 on Turner. On deck is our most dangerous hitter, at least next to Betts, Smith. After him is Lux, who does not hit lefthanders very well. So Roberts has Betts run on two straight pitches. Turner fouls one off, then strikes out on a pitch a foot outside. Betts steals second. So Atlanta of course walks Smith, and then Lux hits an easy fly ball to left, and the inning is over.
Can anyone give me a good reason for that? Turner didn’t have to swing at the pitch? Okay, but then Betts is on second, anyway. The only value is if Turner doubled, and Betts would score. A single, Betts goes to third, and he would have likely gone there without running So what is the advantage? There is a tiny advantage, but the big disadvantage is that unless Turner gets a hit (a walk, sure, but then the running is irrelevant), Smith is taken out of the inning. This seems very obvious. This is the kind of thing that Roberts doesn’t figure out very well, even though some here think that he is the greatest manager of all time. Of such mistakes, games and even titles can be lost. It will get lost in the game analysis, though.
Turner doesnāt have to swing. It would have been ball four. Heās trusting the batting champion to have control of his strike zone. TT is in chase mode unfortunately.
Yes, but my point was that having Betts run on the pitch has very few advantages, and possibly a major disadvantage. If Tuner walks, it didn’t matter.
Keeps them out of the double play.
If that is Roberts’ fault, I must be the cause of global warming!
I think what happened there was that they were holding off on letting Betts run because the Braves pitcher has a reputation for being wild. They wanted to see if TT could draw a walk.
Once the count was full, though, they were sending Betts. It wasn’t a true steal situation but a kind of “run and hit.” TT was looking to make contact because Betts was running. Had that not been a running situation TT would’ve been more likely to be taking and wouldn’t have chased.
This is just a gagging offensive display. Again! By a group of all stars! Just shocking!!!!ā
Will Dodgers ever hit in crutch again? or what?
What!
Frustrating. Taylor in scoring position and they canāt score him.
I love Joe Kelly!
Just like yesterday, the Dodgers seem to be in control of the game because the bullpen make good job and offense has many runners on base and generate greater danger. But they do not score and in the final, Braves score and win the game. Hope things change
So this is healthy Joe Kelly. Awesome! The next time we have a runner on third with less than 2 outs Iām pinch hitting Urias!
Things begin to change!!!
Why Pollock dose not try to hit to the opposite side?
Iāve seen him do it on occasion, And heās usually pretty successful.
But I think heās looking for the big swing home run and he canāt I hit that down and away slider from a right hander.
And I think he might be one of those guys that the lights just get to bright in the post season for him.
I Hope Iām wrong, because heās got the talent along with the physical ability
AJ Pollock is a moron. In this AB and his previous one he was swinging for the fences when all he needed was to make contact and get a base hit. Two of the dumbest at bats Iāve ever seen.
Amen!
I”m not sure who’s flailed at more pitches so far out of the strike zone so far in the playoffs, Trae or Pollock?
Itās close. Thereās playoff Rondo and playoff Pollock. Fortunately, Freddie Freeman is offsetting Trea Turner so far.
Why continĆŗes to pitch to that Raley Guy
Urias bullpen inning didnāt turn out so good. Get him out of there.
I donāt get the use of the staff tonight at all. Iām sorry someone enlighten me.
In must win games you ask your two best relievers to finish it, not your starter on his throw day. Wake up roberts
They had just double-switched and Treinen had thrown 9 pitches. Nine!
I just donāt get taking Scherzer out of the game so early. Not enough good bullpen guys to fill up all those innings left.
They trust Knebel to be the opener against the heart of the order but not to pitch there. Rosario hits lefties better, Albies hits lefties better. I assume Riley does too
This one is on the bullpen.
So I guess we want to outdo down 3-1 last year! Atlanta just more clutch than us! The lack of offense also to blame Eric. Two walks, a hit batter and a bloop single is hardly raking after one Seager bomb. Four hits!
Iāll give some of it to Seager. You just have to at least knock that ball down.
I still donāt like the Urias move.
Agree totally. You have to knock it down. Seager loves the back hand.
The offense once again left a million guys on base. Pollock continues to suck every October. Just a horribly managed game.
Scherzer is a horse and you pull him in the 4th? The guys in the pen have been lights out. They had the option on Treinen, Knebel, Bruihl but go with a guy on short rest. Does this mean he will have to pull Julio after 3 or 4 innings in game 4?
Youāre right the offense sucked too just like the bullpen.
What actually lost the game is the decision to take Scherzer out so early.
Thereās just not enough good bullpen guys for five innings.
After two games , score says: Braves’s bullpen 2 , Dodgers’s Bullpen 0…it hurts!!
Itās very simple now. Dodgers must sweep in Dodger Stadium. And most importantly they need to start scoring some runs. Of course there is precedent for the Dodgers coming back from 0-2 in a 7 game series. If memory serves, the Dodgers did it in 1955 and 1981, both against the Yankees.
Yankees returned the favor in 1956
If memory serves, the Dodgers did it way back in 2020
And in ā65 against the Twins.
And literally last year against this same team.ā
Disagree that this one is on the bullpen. This one is on an offense that couldnāt tack on runs throughout the game and preserve their early lead. Too many missed opportunities to score.
Too much time between innings. Game way too long.
Scherzer told Doc he was feeling it so that clarifies that move. I still donāt get going to Julio there. The team needs to bounce back. Trea had a couple of good ABās that didnāt turn into hits. He has to show up with Muncy out and JT ailing.
How about treinen for 4 to 5 outs amd Jansen for same, with Uriasās first inning problems all
Year move made no sense, defend Robertās now. Canāt wait for his Pollyanna speech without blame.
OK I am somewhat skeptical when some post that they walked to the kitchen and when they came back into the TV room the score flipped/flopped and ask what happened? In complete sincerity I had to drive home from a BBQ leaving just after the Dodgers scored the two runs in the 7th and listened to the game on ESPN radio on the way home.
John Scirambi said on radio that Trae Turner’s fly ball out out to the wall in the 9th would have been a home run in 29 other ballparks.
Had to watch the game winning hit by Rosario after I got home and I must say the play by Seager was horrible. Got to make that play at all costs and the effort was suspect at best. If JT can go Tuesday AJ Pollock never sees the field except for a “mop up” or an end of the bench PH opportunity. His game sucks and is very similar to the post seasons of past when he was 0-13 with 12 K’s. Utter garbage.
Why didn’t JT score on CT3’s bases loaded base hit that got under Heredia’s glove? I know JT is not fast but with two outs and a base hit that gets behind and outfielder should have cleared the bases.
Good point on Turner not scoring on Taylorās hit.
Justin was jogging/watching the ball as he approached second. That and his lack of speed cost them a run.
But Roberts should have pinch run for JT after he walked. You knew he was injured and at least have a pitcher run for him. Even if it was Walker Buehler.
I disagree with using Julio in the 8th inning. But Dave has to make a lot of tough decisions. Treinen/ Jansen/Knebel/Graterol/Bickford should have been able to close out that game in my opinion.
How many times does Robertās/Friedman have to utilize starters to do the relievers job?
And after all year expressing concern about Julioās innings, why bring him back with two days rest and now have him messed up for his next start also?
But so many chances for the players to win that game. Pollock had terrible at bats and his strikeout with a runner on third and one out was pitiful. Pollock is a career 186 hitter in the playoffs, and his weak throw to second tonight cost them a chance to win the game.
And weak throws by Souza and Seager in addition to Pollock each cost them chances to win the game.
Such a frustrating two losses in Atlanta.
It could be that the tough series against the Giants took a lot out of the team. I will always appreciate the win against the Giants, but hopefully they have more left in this team.
I have said this before, Roberts thinks he is Matisse. He wants to paint a beautiful portrait. He did that two years ago, using Kershaw with a two-run lea,d, and we lost. He did it again. I know that Urias was very effective in relief in the last playoffs, but he was starting all year, pitched four innings on Thursday, and now you put him in the eighth inning with a two run lead, and then leave him in?? He couldn’t have used Treinen for one more inning?
He wanted to look like a brilliant painter or composer, making brilliant strokes. I do not know why he escapes being blamed for this, but he mostly does. He will be here for decades. He is not a good game manager, not consistently. This is not blaming him for some hits or errors, this is blaming him for using up his bullpen in the playoffs, using each reliever for one inning, a dab of blue, a little yellow, a stroke here. Treinen is a good reliever. If he struggles in the eighth, take him out But do not put a tired starting pitcher out there for one inning. Use Knebel, he is a reliever. This is absolutely ludicrous, and he has done it before. People can defend him all they want. He has blown another playoff series. The team did not help enough, of course, but we had a two run lead going into the bottom of the eighth, and our two best relievers not used up, and we lost the game by putting in a starter after four innings two days ago.
Some of you have discussed Seager’s play on the last batter above. Granted it was a very hard hit ball, but he just refuses to put his body in front of a ball. He likes to think of himself as a matador out there at shortstop.
And, that is exactly why I think he’d make a crappy third baseman for those of you who would like to re-sign him and ask him to move there.
He is far from the worst of our problems and definitely contributes on a regular basis so I’m not saying I wouldn’t want him back here, but under no circumstances would I want him to be our starting third baseman.
How is it even possible to lose a game with that much traffic on the bases all night?
On the contrary, if Seager was ever to play 3rd base for the Dodgers, I think he would become a gold glove caliber 3rd baseman. He’s quick enough to handle the position, has a cannon for an arm, and in my opinion he has no problem getting in front of balls. And unlike shortstop, there would be no questions about his range. But at this juncture, there is no reason to argue the point, since Seager has never played the position, and there is no evidence on either side of the argument.