I purposely stayed away from writing a column or commenting on Game 3, because I was angry. Not because the Dodgers lost. That had nothing to do with my disposition. The way the offense was going, they were not going to score 4 runs anyway.
I was upset because Clayton Kershaw did not deserve to go out the way he did. He has been the rock of this team well before Roberts or AF/BG got to LAD. Put Treinen out there in the 8th and let him go 2.0 innings. Or Vesia who is certainly not overworked. He threw 22 pitches on September 30, and came back to throw 14 more on October 1. In the NLDS, has thrown 12 pitches in 2 games, and not back to back. There was no reason to send Kershaw back out in the 8th after watching him wiggle and squirm out of a scoreless 7th. He did not have it.
When Kersh went back out in the 8th, I asked myself why aren’t they using Tanner Scott. Perfect situation for him. I later learned that Scott was not at the game for personal reasons. I have no idea what the issue was, and I assume it was for a very good reason. Nobody leaves the team in the Playoffs without a good reason. But isn’t the chance of something like this happening why you bring another reliever and leave Hyeseong Kim on the Taxi Squad? Miggy, Kiké, and Tommy Edman are holding down 2B. And I assume that the Dodgers trust Kim in LF as much as they trust Dalton Rushing. I would rather have Ben Casparius than Kim on the roster.
I was texting with a friend before the game, who wanted to know whose jersey I was going to be wearing for the game. He said he was wearing Kershaw’s and hoping that Yama would go 6. Then Kershaw for 2 and Roki to wrap it up. My response was that it depended on the score and that I was not sure I wanted him to come in cold and face Schwarber and Harper even though had not yet hit in the series. His questioned my confidence in Kersh, and I said that I was confident in him, but it was measured. Schwarber and Harper were due and I did not want to see him get beat by them.
After the 7th, I texted that it was not pretty, but he got through the inning. My friend wanted him to back out in the 8th. I was not as adventurous. He had two power RHB and two LHB before getting back to the top of the order. Sure enough, one of those RHB, JT Realmuto, took him deep. Then the nightmare began. A walk to Kepler, an E5 ground ball, and a Stott sac bunt, put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out and Trea Turner coming up. Why not Treinen here? He had a better chance a Turner than did Kershaw.
As it turned out, in the 9th, Treinen retired the same three that Kersh faced in the 8th. Would Treinen have done that in the 8th? We will never know, and now we have an image of Kersh emblazoned that was not deserved.
Not only did Kersh give up the 5 runs, but it also allowed Philadelphia to put Jhoan Duran on the shelf for Game 3. It appeared that he was headed out for a 2.0 inning save. And now he is ready for Games 4 and 5 (if necessary).
Hopefully I will have something positive to write about Game 4. I will be out Friday through Sunday as I am headed down to Santa Clarita for a 50th birthday celebration.
Damn I live in Santa Clarita, but I’m currently in Wash DC. Would’ve love to met up with you for a glass of wine!
I come down peridically. I will let you know the next time I come down. I would love to meet with you.
Starting Lineup:
Shohei Ohtani – DH
Mookie Betts – SS
Teoscar Hernández – RF
Freddie Freeman – 1B
Tommy Edman- 2B
Will Smith – C
Alex Call – LF
Kiké Hernández – 3B
Andy Pages – CF
Tyler Glasnow – P
Pages is in a huge slump. Would rather see Kike in CF and Call in left with Miggy Ro at third. Better defense all around. Yep, Roberts did Kersh a huge disservice. But Kersh, pro that he is took one for the team.
I want Pages out too, but hoping he proves us wrong today
Mike Greenwell, former Red Sox outfielder has passed away at age 62 after a battle with cancer. RIP Mike.
Greenwell was a good BoSox player. His number was 39, and that was my son’s # with Boston. He was reminded often enough that he was no Mike Greenwell. He laughed and said…no I am not.
Very sad. RIP.
Scott replaced on Dodger roster by Justin Wrobleski. Scott now ineligible for the NLCS should LA advance.
He wasn’t at the game yesterday for “personal” reasons and is now removed. I’m not at all unhappy he isn’t on the roster but I certainly don’t wish anything bad on him. Hope he’s OK.
He had a lower body procedure done. Some sort of injury.
Methinks the next time he pitches for LAD will be Spring 2026.
As a member😀 of the opposing team
If they don’t try to unload that Albatross of a contract this winter.
Wouldn’t be hard to unload that contract. All we’d need to do is throw in Rushing, DePaula, Ferris and Hope and not ask for anything back.
Sometimes change when things are going well can be beneficial. There are times when Roberts makes me less impressed with his awesomeness.
That is good news.
Roberts should be ashamed. After the shaky 7th, Kersh should not have been sent out for the 8th.
Seems to me I remember him doing the same thing in 2019 against the Nats. Sent Kersh back out and he gave up back-to-back homers that tied the game, and that was when he still had electric stuff.
He did not send Kershaw back out against the Nationals. I believe that he brought Kershaw in from the bullpen to face Soto and Rendon and gave up back to back homers to lose the lead.
Wrong, He relived Buehler in the top of the 7th, got the final out. Then went back out in the 8th and gave up the homers and the lead. Easy enough to check out. Go to the Dodgers baseball reference page, go to 2019, then click on the lost LDS where is shows the box scores of all five games.
Kersh should not be on playoff at all. We all know he’s not a good reliever, and has an ERA north of 5 in the first inning. However, he’s on the roster so suck it up and play a roll.
Can’t agree more. Roberts should not be managing in this series or any post-season series with protecting a player’s legacy as a priority. If people want to suggest that Kershaw was ineffective and for that reason, he should not have gone back out, I understand that. But Roberts had used Banda, Dreyer and was likely trying not to use Vesia, Sheehan, and Roki. Scott was unavailable. I think that left Doc with just Kershaw and Treinen. Kershaw is on the post season roster for a reason. If Dodgers had left him off the roster to avoid this situation, many fans would also consider that disrespectful. Sounds like a rock and a hard spot.
Yeah, the loss was bad enough, but leaving Kershaw to pitch the 8th didn’t seem right. Maybe there will be a chance to have Kershaw pitch in a low stress situation and end his career on a positive note.
What’s with the 8th inning curse for the BP?
Both Ohtani and Pages have been awful. It can’t continue and expect to win a WS.
Yamamoto picked the wrong time to have a poor outing.
To me, the worst part of the defeat was that it woke up the Phils top four hitters. Combined they went 9-16 with two Schwarber HRs.
Carry on
“Yeah, the loss was bad enough, but leaving Kershaw to pitch the 8th didn’t seem right.”
I agree. But I think it’s important to point out the Dodgers scored 2 runs. The Phillies had enough runs to beat the Dodgers after the 4th inning. The 4 earned Kershaw gave up meant nothing toward the outcome of that game.
This team, with this pitching, needs to score and score more. 2 runs against teams as good as the Phillies won’t cut it.
Yup
This is where we find out who is clutch who isn’t.
That is 3 missed strike calls by HPU Mark Wegner against Glas.
To me, I continue to be amazed that a team with the Dodger’s payroll still can’t come up with a more set playoff roster into October.
Forget the bullpen woes. We all know the problems there, especially for the 8th innings. We all know the plan for the 3 other starters after the Yamamoto, Snell Ohtani to become bullpen saviors.
But like much of the season, it’s the lineup de jour.
We had a left fielder who had 418 at bats but everybody celebrate when he didn’t make the NLCS roster. Why did we invest so much time with this guy while he hit .199? Why not find an everyday left fielder or a predictable platoon?
So today in a super critical game, we trot out yet another lineup. Now with Call in left with his 73 Dodger at bats and .243 ba. I’ll take it over Conforto. Edman at 2nd when he has the yips on throws to first. We have had a revolving door at 2nd for too many years now. Mr. October, Kike and his .203 average at 3rd for defensive liability Muncy.
By now, most of the teams left in the playoffs have a set lineup and predictable platoons. But not the Dodgers. It could be game 180 and we’d still be experimenting with lineups.
Players and me, like predictability. Especially with everything on the line.
yet we’re in the playoffs for the 13th straight year. Perhaps other teams should do it our way.
Just stirring the pot Bobby and you take the bait every time.
umm. ya good one.
And now they are in the bullpen. Just where the Phillies want them.
This BP has been the Achilles Heel all year, nothing different in the post season.
Why was Glasnow pulled? I’ll never understand the obsession with a pitcher relieved after six innings, giving up two hits, and only 83 pitches.
It must be Roberts’s gut talking.
Bad things can happen….oh wait.
1-0 in the 7th. I could slap Hernandez for writing the story with the headline “the Phillies are done”. Bad juju.
Teo strikes out and never saw a strike. After a huge walk to Mookie and Duran obviously rattled. Bad baseball
All I can say about Ohtani’s offensive game is WOW utterly disappointing. Non competitive in every AB.
Ohtani is clueless against LHP right now. Hopefully he can figure it out during this break between series.
Ohtani clueless against everyone. He did not look like an MVP candidate. Other than his 2 homers, neither did Schwarber.
Does Pages get credited with a walk off? What a gift!
He doesn’t get an RBI.
So who had us winning this way??
Not me. Sure feel for that pitcher. He’s gonna wear that for a long time.
Pages 0 for 5 and is being interviewed as a hero.
I know Badger. I’ve never seen player interviewed after subbing a ball back to the pitcher.
haha I thought the same thing. “Tell me more about how you grounded back to the mound weakly and somehow we won the game”
Agreed – we’ll take it, but just ridiculous to give Pages any credit. He swung wildly at an obvious ball one and then hits a comebacker – that was a shit at-bat.
Unbelievable. Dodgers 0 for 6 RISP, 11 LOB, 12 SO and somehow won. 3 Philly errors was the difference.
Now root for the Cubs to take their series. We would get home field if they do.
Holy shit. Incredible pitching performance by both staffs. What a lousy way to lose a game.
But, the Dodgers will take it. Great strategy. Grind away and wait for your opponent to make unbelievable errors in the field. Like the WS against the Yankees.
Chicago ahead 3-0 so far tonight. It would be good for baseball (and the Dodgers) to have a Chicago-Dodger series.
Wait and see.
Congrats to the LA Dodgers.
Kerkering panicked, but Kim goofed too by not sliding into the plate.
The unbearable pressure just makes players lose their minds.
Wow, what a game. Unbelieveable pitching on both sides. This team will need Freddie and Ohtani to get their bats going. Sasaki is a stud.
Wow what a game. Talk about some quality pitching in the high leverage situations.
I find it incredibly ironic that in game numbers 168 and 166 for these teams, it came down to the most fundamental plays. The details matter.
The first day of Spring Training pitchers begin work on PFP’s. And 2 blown plays by the pitchers determined this game.
First, Sheehan was late covering first in the attempted 3-6-1 double play, and couldn’t find the base, He whiffed on the throw from Mookie that went into the dugout advancing the runner to 2nd. That runner scored the Phillie’s run on the double..
Than the Phillie pitcher blows a simple 1 – 2 play.
Unbelievable.
What a great win.
That’s baseball !!!
He had time to get Pages at first. Should never have thrown home. Realmuto pointed to first. Kim was really close to the plate when he threw the ball.
Some great ABs by MAx and Kike. Max to get a base hit against Lezurdo and Kike to get a BB. Awesome.
Great win Dodgers!! Glasnow stepped up and pitched like a number 1!! I only saw the first 7 innings. Wasn’t thrilled with Glasnow coming out but alls well that ends well. Pitching was phenomenal on both teams. Sasaki just huge out of the bullpen. Who could have predicted that? Doesn’t matter how u do it. Just do it!! Congrats to the whole Dodger organization and fans!!
Ace shit
Can’t wait for Sasaki to save 50 games next year
Regardless of where it’s played, NLCS Game 1 will be Monday 5pm PST, and Game 2 will be Tuesday 5pm PST.
Games 3-4-5 will be Thurs-Fri-Sat