It’s Crunch Time

Posted By on October 9, 2025

Today, Tyler Glasnow has the opportunity to pitch the game of his life and send the Dodgers to the NLCS. This is why they traded Pepiot and DeLuca for the big fellow. If he can control his pitches, it will be a long day for the Phillies. If he can’t, it will be a long day for the Dodgers. I would imagine that Tanner Scott is going to have to pitch an inning, and Sheehan could go a couple. Today would be a perfect time for Glasnow to pitch the game of his life!

Yesterday would have been the perfect time for Clayton Kershaw to do that, too, but you can’t sugar-coat how bad he was. Andy Pages is hitting .053 in the playoffs. His ABs have been remarkably undisciplined. Rojas is hitting .375 in the playoffs and has zero strikeouts. I would say that it’s pretty apparent that Doc had no confidence in Pages in that situation. Rojas can’t play CF, so who else was going to? Dean is probably the best CF on the team since Edman can’t play it right now. It made perfect sense to me… it just didn’t work.

Just because something doesn’t work, doesn’t mean it doesn’t make sense. We praised Doc when Banda pitched well, but if he pitched poorly, most fans would have criticized him. It’s the player… not the manager, who executed. Managers manage, players play, and morons moan and groan, blaming the manager when things go south. 😉 Clayton was horrible on a night when Doc needed him. Pure and simple. I can’t sugarcoat that.

I hate to say it, but I would leave Kershaw and Treinen off the NLCS Roster IF the Dodgers make it there. Henriquez, Casparius, or maybe Hurt?

Here’s the long and short of it:

1. Don’t pitch Clayton or Treinen against the Phillies.
2. Freddie needs to step up. It’s time.
3. Ohtani needs to extract his head from his rear. He had 10 Ks in 23 ABs! He needs to get red hot!
4. Blake Treinen should not pitch against the Phillies, even though he pitched a scoreless inning last night. In 2021, his fastball velocity was in the 96th percentile. Now it’s in the 72nd percentile.

5. Someone needs to pitch well in the 8th inning (Thanks, Mushers Pop), and I think it has to be Tanner Scott.

It’s crunch time.

This article has 58 Comments

  1. This is why I don’t trust Tyler Glasnow in tonight’s game or any BIG game.

    Tyler Glasnow’s career postseason stats are as follows:

    Games (G) 11
    Games Started (GS) 10
    Wins (W) 2
    Losses (L) 6
    ERA 5.51
    Innings Pitched (IP) 47.1
    Hits Allowed (H) 45
    Earned Runs (ER) 29
    Home Runs (HR) 10
    Walks (BB) 27
    Strikeouts (SO) 63
    WHIP 1.52

      1. We praise AF with most of his trades, but honestly this was NOT one of his better ones. Glasnow has the LA look, but Not much more than that.

      1. Today Glasnow with a stellar performance. I want to see more of that moving forward to prove me wrong.

  2. So it seemed the plan was not to swing at breaking pitches. So if you throw them for strikes, that plan doesn’t work. I am sure that will be the plan against Glasnow. So it will be up to him to execute. Kershaw could not. Suarez did

  3. It turns out that Tanner Scott is not with the team for “Personal Reasons.”

    Maybe something personal has been going on all year?

    2. I saw the “persoanl reasons” report and now read that there’s an injury…
      Anyway, Wrobleski is on the roster.
      I’m just hoping Scott comes back healthy and with his head straight in ’26.
      Dodgers got a bit lucky on this one to avoid a return to Philly. Kerkering could have thrown Pages out at 1B but panicked after his bobble and threw wildly to home. Sucks for the Phils and lucky for our Dodgers..
      But I think it was Branch Rickey who that luck is the residue of design. Dodgers got into position to win with some good ABs–and a non-AB. Shohei is struggling but still so scary he drew the intentional pass that set up Mookie for the clutch walk to tie the score.
      Anyway….whew. Time to exhale.

  4. If Ohtani could count his batting Ks with his pitching Ks, he would lead the league. Head in his ass is probably accurate. Those sliders away and high hard ones are eating him up.
    Bad time for Pages’ to hit a drought. He doesn’t seem comfortable or confident with the Philly pitching. That said, Doc pinch hitting a guy with 21 less homers seems more vindictive than strategic.

    2. I get that, I just thought Doc beats up some players while ignoring the vets sloppy defense and massive Ks by his stars
      Would it be terrible to sit Ohtani for Smith against tough lefty starters and use him as a pinch-hitter in a critical situation against a righty?
      Actually, playoff teams all have great starting pitching and the hitters have to deal with it. Some do, some don’t.

    3. I get that, I just thought Doc beats up some players while ignoring the vets sloppy defense and massive Ks by his stars
      Would it be terrible to sit Ohtani for Smith against tough lefty starters and use him as a pinch-hitter in a critical situation against a righty?
      Actually, playoff teams all have great starting pitching and the hitters have to deal with it. Some do, some don’t.

  6. Houston Mitchell:

    Hi and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell, and we shouldn’t be so surprised that the Phillies came back strong in Game 3.
    —After all, the Phillies didn’t win 96 games by accident.
    —If Kyle Schwarber‘s bat is awake, then it got a lot harder for the Dodgers to win.
    —Now, someone needs to wake up Shohei Ohtani‘s bat. He is one for 14 with six strikeouts in the NLDS.
    —Some fans want the Dodgers to start Ohtani on the mound tomorrow. I disagree. Tyler Glasnow is the right call, with Blake Snell starting Game 5 if necessary. Game 4 isn’t enough rest for Ohtani.
    —Ohtani is swinging at pitches well out of the zone, which is what he does when he’s in a slump. Hopefully it is short-lived.
    —Ohtani is now hitting .214 in 21 career postseason games.
    —The Dodgers had a chance to put the Phillies in a big hole in the first inning. Mookie Betts tripled with one out, and you need to score that run in the postseason. But Teoscar Hernández struck out, Freddie Freeman was hit by a pitch and Will Smith struck out.
    —Betts is hitting .409 this postseason.
    —I know I picked Dodgers in five, but you don’t really want to go back to Philadelphia after being up 2-0.
    —Someone please let Andy Pages know that it’s OK to get a hit. When you have Miguel Rojas batting for you, it’s not a good sign.
    —I still like the TBS announcers, but play-by-play man Brian Anderson can’t tell if a fly ball is a home run or not.
    —Dodgers fans were taught this by Vin Scully: Don’t watch the ball, watch the outfielder.
    —It was tough to see Clayton Kershaw left out there to take a beating.
    —I didn’t have Kershaw penciled in as the man who would fill the Brent Honeywell role this postseason.
    —For those of you irate that Dave Roberts apparently punted the game away by leaving Kershaw out there, have we already forgotten last season? He did the same thing during the postseason then, including during the World Series.
    —Seems to me Kershaw deserves better than that role, but we have no idea what conversations took place between Roberts and Kershaw before the series, or Game 3. Perhaps Kershaw volunteered to take one for the team. He is the type of guy who would do that.
    —“He just didn’t have a great slider tonight,” Roberts. “Clayton pitches off his slider. He was working behind, too. The command wasn’t there tonight.”
    —One reason Kershaw was left out there: The Phillies have a lot of left-handed hitters, and Tanner Scott wasn’t available for personal reasons. Alex Vesia pitched the last two games. Kershaw was the only left-hander available at that time.
    —Kershaw has a career 4.63 postseason ERA in 196.1 innings.
    —Yoshinobu Yamamoto didn’t have it in Game 3. Only two strikeouts, and didn’t fool many batters. That’s what happens sometimes.
    —It really isn’t, but for some reason Game 4 feels like a must-win game, doesn’t it?
    —Maybe Ben Rortvedt is the Dodgers’ good-luck charm and needs to start every game, with Will Smith coming in around the fifth inning.
    —Judging by the response I got, I indeed am the only person who like the Limu emu (and Doug).
    —Anthony Banda looked strong in his brief outing.
    —To beat Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez today, the Dodgers need to do what they did to him in Game 1 (and something they didn’t do in Game 3): Work the count, drive up his pitch count and get him out of the game by end of the sixth inning.
    —“Obviously there’s still a lot of pressure on us, but pressure is a privilege,” Betts said. “We’re going to do what we always do. Tomorrow is a new day.”
    —Remember, this is supposed to be fun.

  7. maybe Doc just wants him to have quality at bats. i don’t blame him for pinch hitting for him. Talent is there, sometimes the plate discipline isn’t. Where’s Kirby Yates when you need him? he was perfect for that 8th inning!! Clayton was not good. Doesn’t change a thing about him. he’s CLAYTON KERSHAW. nuff said

  8. PLEASE. I am not really making a comparison. But when you look at Ohtani up there. He seems very loose, not tense, even smiling, not depressed as he flails away and walks back to the dugout. Who does that remind you of??????
    Andruw Jones
    . Sorry Just little early day humor

  10. Yama and Kersh didn’t have it yesterday and the Phils are good. I expected them to win yesterday but you can’t win them all. (I read that somewhere.)

    Anyway, I am nervous about Glasnow. He often takes an inning or two to find his rhythm. If he has it from the start the Phils are in for a long day. If not and the Dodgers fall behind early it could be tough. The Dodgers have seen Sanchez three times this season already which could help.

    I also wonder about a momentum shift from yesterday. If the Phils’ top of the lineup guys have their mojo back that could make it tougher too.

    And yeah, Dodgers’ top hitters (especially Ohtani) have to get it going.

  11. Kershaw is a choker, and there’s no way around it. He didn’t retire after getting humiliated against Arizona in 2023 because he didn’t want that to be his last memory on the baseball field. He got a chance to redeem himself in a less pressure-packed moment, and he completely folded—again. I sincerely hope that was his last time pitching on a baseball field, because he’s been no help to the Dodgers in the playoffs and never has been.

  12. Kike’ Hernández can play CF. Put Call in LF.

    Kershaw hasn’t pitched in a game since game162 and it showed. Hopefully Glasnow can throw strikes.

    Nothing against Smith but the starting pitcher ERA when Rortvedt is catching has been phenomenal. Small sample size but maybe Mitchell is onto something. Note; Glasnow praised Rortvedt several starts ago for getting is pitches on track.

  13. Love the dodgers, but, Kershaw is not a playoff pitcher, never has been. Check through the years. P b a

  14. 6:08 PM ET

    Phillies (96-66) (1-2)
    Dodgers (93-69) (2-1)

    SP C. Sanchez L
    13-5 2.50 ERA
    SP Tyler Glasnow R
    4-3 3.19 ERA

    Confirmed Lineup
    DH S. Ohtani L
    SS Mookie Betts R
    RF T. Hernandez R
    1B F. Freeman L
    2B Tommy Edman S
    C Will Smith R
    LF Alex Call R
    3B E. Hernandez R
    CF Andy Pages R

    78° Wind 10 mph Out

  15. Pages isn’t hitting. He should not be starting. Just another empty bat in the 9 hole.

    2. When was the last time the Dodgers made such a rash, knee-jerk decision?

      Lots of playoff series in the Friedman glory years where players have been cold, I can’t remember a benching.

      Why start with the young CF?

      I could be wrong as I haven’t researched.

    3. But then, a broken bat shudda been an out from him wins the game. Baseball makes no sense sometimes.

  17. On Kershaw in the playoffs:

    Figures don’t lie

    But Liars Figure!

    Kershaw’s overall ERA is inflated by a few rough outings despite several brilliant starts.

    If you can read and not just look at stats, check out Andy McCullough’s Book on Clayton. You will change your opinion, unless you mind is like a steel trap and already sprung!

  18. thanks mark! kevin must be a padres fan. Dan marino, john stockten, karl malone, ernie banks, don mattingly, just a few stars who never won a championship. Are they chokers? Clayton damn sure ain’t no choker!

      1. Dumb. Not Roberts fault Sheehan didn’t catch the ball but a predictable outcome in my opinion. Glasnow was dominate

  20. Here are the facts:
    1. Glasnow .was not upset in the dugout, so I believe he was down with being taken out! You never know… he may have told Doc he was tiring.
    2. Glasnow has an ERA of below 3.00 in innings 1-6.
    3. In the 7th inning his ERA goes up to 5.79.

    It helps to have all the facts.

    Doc can never be right in some fans minds: He’s dumb for taking Glasnow out and had Glasnow given up runs in the 7th, Doc would have also been stupid for leaving him in. That argument sucks! Second-guessers are never wrong.

    2. Didn’t say he was dumb. And the same could be said about all your postulations. In a world of almost infinite possibilities, no one is ever wrong….. until they are. If Glas was gassed after 83 pitches of 2 hit ball ,…… Well good he is our #4.
      Overall, a good old fashioned ballgame! So glad extras don’t have the runner on 2nd. Seems more pure.

    3. Common. He was dominating. Had only thrown 82 pitches and they were at the bottom of the order. I don’t care what his 7th inning stats are. As infrequently as pitchers see the 7th inning these days, one outing can skew those stats. I like Doc but I’m not going to be an apologist for him. I expect Glasnow to be a team guy and not cause a stink. Who knows, Maybe Doc said, one more inning and so he emptied the tank. I’m not privy to that conversation.

      Fortunately, it worked out. Roki looks like a monster now. I do feel bad for the kid from the Phillies. That play will haunt him his entire life.

    1. I can deal with that!

      However, we have to win the NLCS first.

      We’ll soon find out who we’re playing – Milwaukee or Chicago.

  26. whomever the dodgers play , the pitching is set up perfectly. hopefully if it’s the brewers they exhaust their bullpen if it goes 5. rather see the cubs, but it doesn’t matter. if it’s the cubs dodgers get home field advantage. … How about a shoutout for Vesia! he stepped up and made the pitches he needed to make. sasaki? wow! we thought we wouldn’t see him again this season. Don’t know how they use him next season, but damn , closer? Sheehan looked like he just got out of prison when mookie walked in the tying run! Game should have ended in the ninth. Teo had a terrible at bat after mookie walked. Should have walked too. …. Glasnow looked like the pitcher that the dodgers envisioned when they traded for him. he was dominant. And haters, don’t bring up the 3 walks. The umpire squeezed him on 2 of those. Outstanding performance !! .. One last thing. Kyle Schawber was the epitome of class last night. After hitting than bomb off Clayton, he said he didn’t want to show clayton up with crazy celebrations. He said he had too much respect for for Clayton and everything he had accomplished! Great season Kyle!

  29. A LOT of ball to be played. But surely worth discussing if Roki would entertain the Dodgers asking him to close for a season or two. A guy with that kind of stuff that can also give you multiple innings? For 800k? And I think we have 5 more years of control.

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