Final night time’s 4-3 win in Recreation 2 of the Nationwide League Division Collection was a wild trip — as wild as a 4-3 sport might be. It didn’t have to be that manner, however it was, thanks partially to Dave Roberts.
Earlier than you assume you realize the place that is going, you don’t.
Roberts was a lot maligned for bringing in Blake Treinen to start the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead. Treinen of the 11.57 ERA in September and a man who appears nothing just like the man the Dodgers leaned on throughout their 2024 championship run. And but, I used to be completely effective with Roberts going to Treinen in that state of affairs.
Emmet Sheehan had thrown two innings of one-run ball — and appeared manner higher than that will point out. Roki Sasaki is rising as a reputable late-inning choice for the Dodgers. Tyler Glasnow was utilized in aid to assist bridge the Sasaki hole in Recreation 1. One factor in widespread amongst all of them: they had been all beginning pitchers through the common season and for almost all of their careers.
On this 5-game sequence, the Dodgers have been in a position to deploy extra starters out of the bullpen than regular. In the event that they get to the Nationwide League Championship Collection and past, that technique goes to alter. And a part of that change consists of trusting relievers. Certain, Clayton Kershaw is down there, however that is his swan track, and he isn’t going out because the beginning pitcher all of us have adored during the last 18 years.
Ideally, if he was going to make use of Sasaki, it could have been greatest to do to start out the inning. Not usually do you see beginning pitchers come into video games out of the bullpen mid-inning. Typically, the state of affairs dictates that, however it’s positively unusual.
Sooner or later, Doc goes to wish to have the ability to belief his relievers — lots of whom helped the Dodgers final 12 months once they had 2.5 beginning pitchers. That’s why deploying Treinen on this state of affairs made sense.
He was going through the 4-5-6 hitters within the lineup, however they weren’t precisely a part of the 1995 Cleveland lineup. It was Alec Bohm, J.T. Realmuto and Nick Castellanos. All of them have had various levels of success prior to now, however Father Time is getting to 2 of them (Realmuto and Castellanos), and Bohm is wildly inconsistent.
Treinen gave up a single to Bohm to guide off the inning that was barely above-average MLB exit velocity, the double for Realmuto was legit, after which got here Castellanos’ two-run double.
FIGHTIN’ pic.twitter.com/1YTsX1Ytbb
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) October 7, 2025
I imply…
That ball was out of the zone, it was a half-swing by Castellanos — baseball occurred on that pitch. Additionally, if Tommy Edman simply makes the tag, it finally ends up getting the Dodgers a precious out. The top end result, nevertheless, was it nonetheless introduced the Phillies nearer, and Roberts made the proper name to provide Treinen the fast hook and go to Alex Vesia.
In the course of the pitching change, the wheel play was mentioned and put into play, because the Phillies — for some motive — determined to attempt to bunt with a runner at second and no outs. Whereas Roberts doesn’t deserve all of the credit score for that play, the truth that he trusted his gamers to execute it can’t be ignored. It’d be equal to a quarterback going to the pinnacle coach and eager to strive a trick play with the sport on the road. Make no mistake, if that play doesn’t finish the way in which it does, the Dodgers nearly assuredly lose the lead, if not the sport.
A wonderfully executed wheel play. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/aVRONlLEtP
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 7, 2025
As soon as Vesia bought the second out, Roberts made one other appropriate choice to go to Sasaki for Trea Turner. It was a confidence-building second for the 23-year-old who dealt together with his fair proportion of adversity in his rookie marketing campaign. However the reality Roberts would have been snug — maybe out of necessity — with Sasaki going through like NL MVP runner-up Kyle Schwarber with the sport on the road (had Turner not made an out) speaks volumes. And, as a result of it by no means appears to be simple for the Dodgers, Edman needed to make Freddie Freeman provide you with the dig of his profession to save lots of Recreation 2.
That is a W! pic.twitter.com/LpSq2n0g3o
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 7, 2025
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Thus far in these playoffs, Roberts is pushing all the proper buttons, even when the end result isn’t within the Dodgers’ favor. He caught with Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell for six innings every, when he simply may have lifted both earlier than recording the 18th out. Within the Wild Card Collection, he allowed Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto go seven innings. It’s nearly like this Dodgers’ playoff pitching employees is a 180 from final 12 months’s. Having wholesome starters for October will do this for a supervisor. Aren’t we glad to have it this manner as a substitute of getting a couple of additional wins in Could and June?
Whereas issues have gone properly up to now, if the Dodgers get to the NLCS, changes might be crucial. Glasnow will slot into the rotation. That’ll nonetheless depart regular starters Sasaki and Sheehan (and Kershaw) within the bullpen, however the brief relievers are going to have to indicate up — until the Dodgers’ rotation decides to go all 2005 White Sox on us. Treinen, Tanner Scott, and no matter amalgam of lefties they go for in Anthony Banda, Jack Dreyer and Justin Wrobleski. With Glasnow transferring out, they may want one other right-hander, which most likely means both Edgardo Henriquez or Kirby Yates.
The underside line is that they want the precise relievers to indicate up in the event that they’re going to win.
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For this reason Roberts and the entrance workplace get the large bucks. These will not be simple selections to make, and but, Roberts has been almost flawless up to now this offseason. I’ll by no means perceive why the fan base needs to fireside not solely one of the best supervisor the Dodgers have ever had, however one of the best supervisor in baseball as we speak. It’s wild.
Roberts remains to be getting higher as a supervisor, and quite a lot of that has to do with the belief in his gamers and the consolation degree the gamers have with him. That, coupled together with his tactical enchancment and, properly, the haters higher recover from it, as a result of Doc isn’t going wherever for an extended, very long time.
