Sometimes you just overthink it. LHRP Anthony Banda was the opener, and his task was to get Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper out. Banda struck out the RH hitter, Harrison Bader, but gave up the HR to Schwarber and walked Harper. I acknowledge that another reason for Sheehan to come out of the bullpen is because that is what he is likely going to do in the playoffs.
In the 3rd, Sheehan walked Bader, and then struck out both Schwarber and Harper. Go figure.
Sheehan pitched well for 5.2 innings, but a leadoff double by the much heralded Otto Kemp, and Emmet’s night was done. The usually reliable Jack Dreyer gave up a run scoring single and a 2-run HR from another future HOF, Wesley Wilson. A 3-1 Dodgers lead quickly became a 4-3 Phillies lead.
Mookie hit a 2-out solo HR to tie the game off usually reliable Orion Kerkering.
After Bryce Harper hit a solo HR off Alex Vesia in the 8th giving Philadelphia the one run lead, LHRP Matt Strahm, who has been outstanding since July 1, retired the Dodgers in order in the 8th setting up Jhoan Duran for the 9th.
However, before Duran, the Dodgers trotted out Tanner Scott. Scott showed us some of that Scott the Dodgers thought they were getting. He struck out one, and had two soft contact outs on 10 pitches (9 strikes).
Duran has been untouchable for Philadelphia since they acquired him from Minnesota. He easily dispatched Max Muncy with a K. But then Andy Pages came to the plate. On an 0-2 pitch, Duran threw a curve, and Pages did not miss it. 108.2 MPH and 424 feet and the game was tied.
One good outcome was that Duran threw 22 pitches, so there is very little chance he pitches is all three games. The Dodgers are also not going to be afraid of Duran. In his last two relief appearances against LAD, Duran gave up a walkoff HR by Ohtani, and now a tying HR off the bat of Andy Pages.
Blake Treinen came in with a Harrison Bader the placed runner at 2nd. He got the first out, but IBB Bryce Harper. Philadelphia pulled off the double steal, Bader scored on a sac fly off the bat of JT Realmuto. Philly back out in front.
In the bottom of the 10th the Dodgers loaded the bases with one out off David Robertson. But the guy who has been fairly clutch most of the year, Miggy Ro, popped out on the 1st pitch. Max hit a 3U groundball to end the game.
What was disappointing was that the Dodgers had Ranger Suárez on the ropes and let them him off the hook. While neither bullpen was efficient nor effective as a group, the Phillies bullpen was better than the Dodgers. Shocking, I know. The Dodgers now have 12 games to try and piece together a bullpen they can rely on for the playoffs.
One point that should not be overlooked is that the offense has been fairly productive against 3 very good SP in their last three games. They have two more on Tuesday and Wednesday.
One other thing, for the second straight year, Betts has been chosen as the Dodgers’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, baseball’s most prestigious off-the-field prize, in recognition for his wide-ranging charity work. More on that later.
Bullpen won us a WS last year and wil probably be our downfall this year. Can’t get any better than our starting pitching right now. What a waste!
3 HR’s given up by the relief pitchers in this game.
Kudos to Mookie on a team of full of exceptional off the field givers. Easy to root for a team of outstanding young men