Blake Snell and his electric arm provided the lightning and the Dodgers bats provided the thunder with 5 HRs.
It all started with El Mariachi throwing out the first pitch.
After Snell retired the side in order in the 1st, Ohtani hit the 4th pitch, a 100.4 MPH 4-seamer, 117.7 MPH on a line drive into the RF pavilion, giving LAD a 1-0 lead. Mookie followed with a single (101.1 MPH) into left field. Freddie hit a 3rd straight hard hit ball into a F7. With 1 out, Teoscar turned on a slider for a 4th hard hit ball in the inning. Dodgers did not show any problems turning on Hunter Greene.
In the 3rd inning, with one out, Greene lost control and walked Freddie and Max. Teoscar then turned on another Greene slider and crushed a 3-run HR into the LF pavilion. Tommy Tanks followed with a solo HR into the RF stands.
The Dodgers chased Greene after 3.0 IP. He allowed 5 runs, 6 hits, 2 BB, 4 K, and 3 HR. The Reds dipped into their bullpen which was outstanding coming into the playoffs. The Dodgers were ready for Greene’s hard stuff, but the first reliever for Cincinnati, Scott Barlow, struck out Ben Rortvedt, Shohei, and Mookie without hitting 92 MPH, all swinging. He got two more outs in the 5th, and Max was his 4th K.
Tito Francona went back to the pen and brought in hard throwing RHRP Connor Phillips to face Teoscar. He got two quick strikes on Teo but then Teo slugged a solo oppo HR into the RF pavilion.
In the 6th, Kiké hit his second single of the game. After one out, Shohei followed with one of his patented bombs. 113 MPH. 454 feet. 34 degree launch angle.
In the meantime, Snell was spinning a scoreless gem through 6.0, with 9 K. He allowed just 1 hit and 1 walk, both in the 3rd inning. In the 7th, Snell surrendered 2 runs on 3 hits before getting the 3rd out, and his night was done. He had 19 swings and misses.
The Dodgers got both runs back in their half of the 7th. Miggy Ro had come in to play for Edman earlier singled with one out. He scored on a 2 out single by PH Alex Call and a throwing error into the LAD dugout by Marte. Call moved up to 3rd on the error and scored on a Rortvedt single.
Then the Dodgers went to the bullpen, and the adventure began. Alex Vesia seemingly cannot get that 3rd strike anymore. He gave up a hit and a BB before he was lifted for Edgardo Henriquez. Henriquez is fresh off a 6.43 ERA September, 7.0 IP, 5 runs, 7 hits, 2 HR, 3 BB, and 10 K. He proceeded to give up 1 hit and 2 walks without recording an out. He allowed both inherited runners to score. Jack Dreyer relieved Henriquez with the bases loaded, and walked the first batter he faced giving the Reds their 3rd run of the inning. He followed that up with a strikeout and a popout to get out of the inning. The three relievers threw 59 pitches in the inning with only 32 for strikes (54.3%). Not acceptable.
The Dodgers loaded the bases in the 8th without scoring and finished the game with 2-8 wRISP.
Blake Treinen came out in the 9th to try and close it out. He struck out the first two batters, before giving up a bloop single in CF to Gavin Lux, off the glove of Justin Dean. Treinen induced Miguel Andujar to hit a ground ball to Muncy to record the final out.
There was an ugly relief inning that we have all come to expect. I think AF/BG may need to consider making a couple of changes for the NLDS. Henriquez and Vesia out, Casparius and Banda in. Vesia is not healthy. Henriquez is not ready.
I liked the idea of Emmet Sheehan and Tyler Glasnow in the bullpen. But why were they not brought in to close it out for Snell? What are they being saved for?
Oh well, the Dodgers won it and did so in a convincing manner. 10 runs on 15 hits is nothing to sneeze at, and Snell pitched into the 6th for the 1st time in a playoff game, and actually got through 7.0. Let’s just kind of look past Vesia and Henriquez and be happy with a win.
LAD relievers gave up 3 runs while the more heralded Reds bullpen gave up 4. For the final 13 games of the season, 7 Reds relievers pitched 46.2 innings, allowing 8 runs (6 earned), 23 hits, 17 BB, 49 K, and no HRs. In 5.0 innings in Game 1, the Cincinnati relievers allowed 5 runs (4 earned), 9 hits, 1 BB, 8 K, and 2 HR The only reliever who was effective was Scott Barlow who retired all 5 batters he faced, 4 via the K.
The Dodgers pounded out 15 hits, 5 HR. Ohtani and Teoscar each hit a pair of HRs with Tommy Edman getting the 5th. Multi hit games by Shohei, Betts, Freddie, Teoscar, and Kiké. Teoscar had 3 hits while the others had 2.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will try to close out the WC on Wednesday when he faces off against RHSP Zack Littell.
Anthony Banda was unbelievably left off the roster because they had 4 LHRP…Vesia, Dreyer, Wroboleski, and Scott. Some were wondering if he was hurt. He pitched 1.0 innings on 09/25 against AZ. He retired all three batters with 2 K. He pitched the next night against Seattle. 1.1 IP, 1 IBB, and 1 K. He was not going to pitch Saturday after back to back games, and Landon Knack was the only reliever on Sunday. So I am not sure why he was left off.
Great win for the Dodgers! It looked like they were all business until the bullpen. Banda is a workhorse who has performed in big situations. Hopefully, he is not hurt. Vesia showed no desire. Henriquez like most Dodgers just can’t throw strikes. Very poor choice to use him. I thought Treinens performance was encouraging. Dean the defensive wizard just missed the flyball. Sometimes the Dodgers try to be too smart. Pages or Edman catches that ball. So good to c Teoscar and Ohtani get off to good starts and Edman. Muncy I hope gets it going. Snell was super!!
I was wondering where Banda was too. If the Reds are weak against lefties, why not add another lefty in the bullpen?
Kike is incredible in the postseason. I think he tweaked his back, but I don’t care what he does during the regular season, that guy rakes in October. I say keep playing him in left.
Yeah was pulled due to back tightness.
Would loved to have been a fly on the wall when AF and company were discussing the wild card roster. Wonder what changes there will be if we move on to Philly. Pretty sure Ohtani makes the squad.
Henriquez looked terrible. Simply not ready for the big stage right now and with Wrobleski in he BP I wonder why Doc didn’t use him. With the big lead I understand not burning Glasnow or Sheehan, but Wrobo and his velocity could have taken down two innings. Vesia looks to be playing on an empty gas gauge.
Let’s go Yammamoto.
They hit, they win.
I think with that large a lead they wanted to see what those guys in the bullpen would do.
And they saw.
They won’t win a Word Series with a bullpen that does that. I’m assuming a few of those guys will be on a short leash going forward.
It was 10-2 in the 8th. There was no reason for Sheehan or Glasnow at that point. I was actually hoping for Tanner Scott to get into a super low leverage situation in the playoffs and see if he had his good stuff.
But guys need to throw strikes, and they didn’t. Luckily Dreyer, with the count 3-2, threw 3 straight balls which the Reds hitter swung at. That saved even more embarrassment and booing.
On a great note, Treinen looked much much better , which is huge going forward.
Glasnow, Sheehan, Roki, etc will all be ready today in case Yamamoto doesn’t have it. Our pitching is in great shape to take today (or tomorrow if need be).
As Badger may have said once or 300 times this year, “if we hit, we win”. So go hit.
Agree wanted to see what these guys could do. Going forward all about matchups’. roberts saying Conforto and Banda probable in next series
Relax, guys. We won. Roberts does stupid shit all the time.
This was a excellent way to start the postseason!
Thankfully, Roberts let Snell pitch a solid seven innings. With their BP I would have like to see Snell go another inning. Maybe, in a closer game that might have been the case.
Once the Dodgers reached and then exceeded the “Badger run requirement” rule and Snell pitched through seven things looked pretty much over. It was a perfect chance to see if the BP could uneventfully close out the game. They could not.
Vesia was not effective and Roberts quickly removed him from the game. Is he tired or injured? Vesia carried the BP for a good chunk of the season so it would be understandable if he is physically done.
Henriquez came in for probably his one and only appearance in the postseason. He’s not ready right now. Roberts, in a rare moment of emotion, was pissed with his outing. When you are a major league pitcher and come in to mop up a blowout game and can’t through strikes then you have failed at your job. Why not Casparius or Banda? Fortunately, the Dodgers had a chance to confirm his lack of readiness without any real damage.
So, the Dodgers slugged in this game. Check.
The starting pitching was outstanding. Check
But, the BP is still inconsistent at best, ineffective at worst, and will most likely be the determining factor in the Dodgers quest for another World Series championship.
Carry on.
Yes, Roberts did look absolutely furious at Enriquez when he came out.
The next time we see Enriquez may be in Glendale in March. Hopefully he takes this and grows from this.
Nice win. Hope they finish the job today.
I understand why many of you were supportive of not using Glasnow or Sheehan in the 8th. 10-2 lead, it is mop up time. I get it. I was okay with Vesia coming in. But it was clear that this was not going to be a good night for him. Before he suffered an oblique strain on August 23, Alex was effective even if not to his elite 2024 level.
Good for Doc for recognizing that Alex did not have it and pulled him. But this is where I differ from many of you. I would not have brought in Henriquez at this point. He is horrible coming in with inherited runners.
1. Sheehan is going to come out of the bullpen for the entire post-season. He throws strikes. When you have someone down, do not let them get back up. Can Sheehan come in with runners on in a relief role? Good time to find out.
2. Glasnow last threw Saturday, and only 3 innings. I believe Tuesday would have been a normal throw day for him. Why not in the game. That is what Kershaw did. He may be needed to be that guy coming out of the bullpen as did Urias in 2020 and Buehler in 2024. Perfect opportunity to see what he can do coming out of the bullpen.
3. Sasaki has been electric when coming in to start an inning. But how is he coming in with runners on base? Nice time to find out. We know Henriquez is not good at it. He hasn’t been all year. 14 inherited runners and 9 of them have scored. In this game, he did not record an out, and both inherited runners scored.
I did not have an issue with using Jack Dreyer to finish the 8th. But Doc’s comments before leaving the mound should have been, don’t nibble, throw strikes. And yet he tried to paint with De La Cruz. 6 pitches, all close, but only 1 strike and that was painted on the low and inside corner of the zone. Stephenson was the next batter and the first two pitches were not close. He ended up throwing 11 pitches to Stephenson. 2 were fully in the zone, 2 were on the edges, 3 were balls, and 4 were out of the zone that Stephenson chased, fouling off 3 and whiffing on the 4th. His last 4 pitches were all balls that would have forced another runner in.
Dreyer got out of the jam without any further damage. Was the sphincter tightening because of the playoffs? If so, he got that out of his system, and because he has pitched well this year, he deserves this and future opportunities. Not Henriquez.
Banda is not a lockdown high leverage reliever. And even if a bit wild at times, he is generally reliable to not let innings get away from him. That is who he is. Since June 27, Banda has been very good, although admittedly not elite. 35 games, 30.0 IP, 2.10 ERA, 15 BB, 34 K, 3 HR, 20 inherited runners and 7 scored. Banda would have been the perfect mop up pitcher.
Great analysis Jeff. This is no time to screw around.
The front office and coaches coaches have to know the staff’s tendencies and health. This is along with the analytics. They should make decisions and map out which situations would be best for what pitchers. Jeff has receipts and dialed in with the BP choices. And, that’s not to be critical of Jeff’s opinions. But, he isn’t being paid millions to make these decisions. And additional millions on the gathering and analyzing data.
I don’t know who Banda pissed off, but it doesn’t make sense he is not available.
An injury maybe?
At the game in Chicago, San Diego is going with Cease, and Chicago is going with an opener, Andrew Kittredge. Shota Imanaga is scheduled to be the bulk pitcher. I am not a fan of the opener and then bringing in your top starting pitcher as a bulk pitcher. Imanaga knows how to start, and has not pitched badly against Tatis Jr., Arreaz, or Machado.
Tatis Jr. is 3-8 (all singles) with 1 BB, and 1 K
Arreaz is 1-9 with 1 BB, and 1 K
Machado is 1-9 (HR), and 1 K
The same 3 are 2-9 (Arreaz double) and 2 K against Kittredge. I looked at Imanaga’s splits and his highest BA against is in the 1st inning. But so is his K/BB. Craig Counsell knows waaaaayyyyy more than me, so I assume he is making this choice that makes most sense to win the game. Go Cubbies.
The other game that I will be watching is Boston at NYY. Boston is starting Brayan Bello while NYY is starting Carlos Rodón. This season Bello has been stellar against NYY while Rodón has not been good against Boston. Go BoSox.
Chicago going with an opener. Didn’t work.
No it did not.
ESPN strikes again. I hate commercials so I never watch any games in real-time. I set my VCR, record every game and watch them about an hour late, so I can fast-forward through the ads.
ESPN makes that tough when they have back-to-back games like yesterday and today. They never give enough time between gams so one game almost always runs into the next. We missed most of the first inning of the Dodger game, last night. I really would have enjoyed Ohtani’s homer and Blakes top half.
It doesn’t take Nostradamus to know that the Red Sox vs Yankees are long games, even with the pitch clock. Their games are always 3 hours plus. Last night was 3:05 and could have gone into extra innings.
So why doesn’t ESPN and MLB just move the games 3:30 apart?
ESPN does it all the time with college football. As a game goes long, they post what channel to switch to in order to watch the start of the next game. It changes between ESPN 2, ESPNU, and others. Since I’m not watching in real time, I can’t predict where to record to get the start of the next game.
It’s not the end of the world, but it pisses me off. It will likely be the case again tonight.
Great, competitive games yesterday. A day for left-handed starting pitchers. Great performances by Skubal, Crochet, Freid and Snell. 40 K’s between the 4 starters.
I watched 7 teams run bullpen pieces out there yesterday with relievers throwing a hundred with nasty shit. Except the Dodgers. WTF is wrong with Vesia and Henriquez? 40 pitches to get through 1/3 of an inning with an 8 and soon to be 5 run lead. Doc has to be pulling what’s left of his hair out watching these guys.
How soft of a landing is required to trust those guys?
Nice to see our top of the order, except Muncy, with 9 hits including 4 homers and a double.
And nice to see the Cubs beat the Puds.
Another great slate today and maybe ESPN will get lucky and we get to see the start of the Dodger game.
Snitker not returning in 26 to manage the Braves. Angels, Giants, Rangers, Braves all have managerial openings pretty sure Rockies might change too. Littell is 2-0 with the Reds, has an ERA north of four and has given up 10 homers in 10 games with them.
Did you see that the Angels May be interested in Pujols as their next manager?
Jeff, I was not aware that Vesia may be injured. That would certainly explain his recent ineffectiveness.
But that leads to the next obvious question; why is he on the roster if the Dodgers had any inkling that he’s hurt?
Phil, to be honest, I am merely speculating. He came back from a late August oblique strain with only 17 days off. I cannot remember when an oblique strain took this short of recovery. I do not monitor all oblique strains, but they seem to last longer than 17 days. He had 2 rehab appearances and pitched well in them. I could be totally off base, and it absolutely would not be the first time. But he has not been the same pitcher he was before the oblique strain. I question, but always acknowledge that I do not have any inside info on anything.
In going back and looking at his statcast results. His velo was good, and his spin rate for his slider was up but not his 4-seamer which he needs. His vertical break was down for his slider, and his horizontal break was down for his 4-seamer. If you go back and look at his pitcher map for the 3 batters he faced, you will see that he had no command whatsoever. He could not put Marte away. Marte is a free swinger and the pitches he did not swing at were clearly balls out of hand. The balls he fouled off were in the middle of the zone. He could not get his 4-seamer to sit at the top of the zone where he is most effective.
It could be that he has not fully recovered from the oblique, or it could be just lack of command. He is just not consistent as he was pre-injury. Horrible against Arizona. Brilliant against Seattle. And horrible against Cincinnati. Those are his last three games.
If the doctors are convinced he is healthy than I will be as well. But something is not right with him.
59 pitches in the 8th!!!
I had to put the game on mute during the 8th because I didn’t want to hear the announcers discussing all these walks and I knew I didn’t want to hear our fans groaning/booing, etc.
The looks on the fans’ faces were enough; I didn’t need to hear it.
Sasaki looked great, Sheehan not so much. On to Philthadelphia.
Didn’t someone say he was a bust?
Ill assume that person was on his 27th tequila shot when he said that
The bullpen is suffering from mass hysteria. They’ve convinced each other that terrible things will happen when they reach the pitcher’s mound.
Roki the Rookie doesn’t speak enough English to understand the whispers of the other guys in the bullpen so he is now our new closer.
Maybe Roki has Kike Syndrome. Disappointing season followed by an MVP playoff run.
After watching the Reds for the past two nights, I have come away convinced that they were by far the weakest of all the playoff teams. We were lucky to draw them. If we can get past the Phillies we will have proven ourselves worthy of continuing on our quest for another championship. If not, it’s back to the drawing board.