The day after his team’s defeat 12-6 loss to the New York Mets Friday evening, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts lamented his inability to predict the future.
Because if Roberts had known that Andy Pages scored twice in Game 5 of the National League Championship Serieshe would have removed the starting pitcher Jack Flaherty earlier than him.
When Flaherty ran into trouble in the third inning, Roberts could have turned to Daniel Hudson. Or maybe Michael Kopech.
Instead, Roberts stuck with Flaherty, who allowed five more runs to increase the Dodgers’ deficit to 8-1. The loss reduced their advantage in the best-of-seven series to three games to two.
Learn more: Dodgers can’t overcome Jack Flaherty struggles in NLCS Game 5 loss to Mets
Roberts did not lack urgency. He was running out of options.
Regardless of how well the Dodgers pitched this month, what was true about their entry into the postseason remains true. They lack weapons.
We cannot count on their starters to win a significant number of rounds. Relievers they trust in high-leverage situations can only be used a limited number of times.
The result is that Roberts can call on the likes of Blake Treinen or Evan Phillips only when the Dodgers are leading or tied. They cannot afford to waste their relief bonuses in the event of a loss.
As things stand, they’ll struggle to cover nine innings to win and advance to the World Series, especially with left-handed reliever Alex Vesia sidelined with a ribcage injury.
“It’s not always fun to experience this…certainly from my chair,” Roberts said. “But you kind of have to stay firm in how you use your pitchers, because at the end of the day it’s about winning four games in a seven-game series.”
The Dodgers don’t play Saturday. They are scheduled to host a bullpen matchup Sunday in Game 6, which will take place at Dodger Stadium. Walker Bühler is lined up to start the following day in a potential Game 7, which would also take place at Dodger Stadium. Buehler only lasted four innings in his last start, meaning relievers could throw the majority of innings on Monday.
Deploying Treinen or Phillips on Friday could have compromised their availability or performance in those games.
The dynamic makes games like Friday extremely difficult for Roberts to deal with. From the first inning, it was obvious that Flaherty didn’t have it. The average velocity of his four-seam fastball was just 91 mph, down nearly 2 mph from the regular season.
Flaherty, who Roberts said was ill, hit a three-run homer off Pete Alonso in the first inning. Flaherty pitched a scoreless second, but almost gave up a home run to Francisco Lindor, who sent the ball toward the right-field wall.
With Flaherty collapsing in the third inning, Roberts had a choice to make: pitch the game or turn to one of his high-leverage relievers to try to keep the score close. Knowing better than anyone how explosive his offense could be, he wanted to give the team a chance to win. Although he believed in his lineup, he also knew the odds were against the Dodgers’ comeback. The Dodgers could afford to lose. What they couldn’t afford was to lose And depleting their enclosure in the process.
Learn more: Plaschke: Everyone relax! The Dodgers still control their World Series destiny
“You know there is a cost for the match that follows,” he said.
Then Roberts started. Flaherty finished the third inning and reliever Brent Honeywell pitched the next 4 ⅔ innings, ensuring that the Dodgers wouldn’t have to use pitchers they didn’t want to use.
The Dodgers remain in control of this series, but if this loss revealed anything, it’s that Roberts had a high-flying postseason act. The Dodgers have almost no margin for error. Bullpen dominance hasn’t changed that. Neither did the surprisingly effective starts of Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Buehler.
Once again, President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman put together a roster that would require Roberts to be perfect. Friedman made the same mistakes as last year and the year before. His team is doing well this time.
Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.
This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.
