Most of the conversations about the Dodgers[1] last winter centered on the moves they didn't make.
In retrospect, they did something monumental. They did something that changed the franchise. They did something that will take them back to the National League Championship Series[2] for the first time i n three years.
They hired Dave Roberts[3] to be their manager.
There were several memorable performances Thursday night in the Dodgers' 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals[4] in the final game of their NL division series.
Carlos Ruiz[5] drove in the go-ahead run with a pinch-hit single in the seventh inning. Justin Turner[6] added to the lead with a two-run triple. Kenley Jansen[7] made a 51-pitch relief appearance. And Clayton Kershaw[8] closed the game.
Roberts was as valuable as any of them, if not more. On a night when starting pitcher Rich Hill[9] failed to complete the third, Roberts found a way to win.
He used six pitchers. As he did, he broke convention, calling on his most reliable setup man in the third inning, his closer in the seventh and his ace in the ninth.
This was a managerial master class, and this wasn't a fluke.
The Dodgers' continued TV blackout prevented most of L.A. from witnessing it, but Roberts did this all season. It's why he's the odds-on favorite to be named NL manager of the year, when the award is announced in November.
Roberts again managed to overcome the team's glaring shortage of starting pitching, the byproduct of the front office's strategy of building a rotation around historically fragile arms. It's one thing to use smoke and mirrors to get past the likes of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamond-backs in the regular season. Doing it against a division-winning team like the Nationals in October is of a completely different magnitude.
The absence of rotation depth forced Rober ts to start 36-year- old Hill on three days' rest. Hill had never started a game four days after another start. The closest he came was in 2009, when he made a short relief appearance for the Baltimore Orioles and started for them four days later.
Hill was visibly fatigued Thursday. And with the Dodgers down, 1-0, in the third inning, the Nationals had swift-footed Trea Turner on third base with one out. Roberts allowed Hill to remain in the game and pitch to Jayson Werth[10], who struck out. He then signaled for Hill to intentionally walk Daniel Murphy[11], at which point he then called on setup man Joe Blanton[12] to pitch to Anthony Rendon[13]. Blanton got Rendon to line out to center field.
Blanton also pitched a perfect fourth inning. Next up was 20-year-old Julio Urias, who pitched two scoreless innings, courtesy of Nationals third base coach Bob Henley's misguided decision to send Werth home on a two-out double by Ryan Zimmerman[14] in the sixth.
Roberts had to improvise again in the bottom of the seventh inning, after left-hander Grant Dayton served up a two-run home run to Chris Heisey and followed that up by allowing a single to Clint Robinson[15]. With what was a 4-1 lead now down to 4-3, Roberts turned to his closer, Jansen.
Jansen recorded the next seven outs, including the first of the ninth inning. But by the time a gassed Jansen walked Bryce Harper[16] to push Werth into scoring position, Roberts was ready to make his next move. He went to Kershaw, who told him he would be available if necessary. Kershaw forced Murph y to pop up, struck out Wilmer Difo and raised his arms in triumph.
Now compare Roberts' performance to what was happening on the opposite bench.
The Nationals mentally froze on the basepaths. They had the Dodgers on the ropes and failed to drop them. And, in the decisive seventh inning, they used the wrong pitchers.
Baker returned starting pitcher Max Scherzer[17] to the mound, even though he was at 98 pitches and was visibly laboring in the previous two innings.
Scherzer served up a leadoff home run to Joc Pederson that tied the score at 1-1.
The Dodgers went ahead 2-1 later in the inning on Ruiz's single off left-hander Sammy Solis. Solis remained in the game to retir e Corey Seager[18], only for Baker to then make another costly blunder.
Baker summoned Shawn Kelley[19] to pitch to the Turner.
On the surface, the move made sense. Kelley is a right-hander. Turner bats from a right-handed stance.
The problem was that Turner has better numbers against right-handers than he does against left-handers. The third baseman batted .305 this year against right-handers and only .209 against left-handers.
Turner blasted a triple over the head of center fielder Trea Turner, driving in two runs to increase the Dodgers' lead to 4-1.
References
- ^ Los Angeles Dodgers (www.latimes.com)
- ^ National League Championship Series< small> (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Dave Roberts (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Washington Nationals (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Carlos Ruiz (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Justin Turner (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Kenley Jansen (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Clayton Kershaw (www.latimes.com)
^Rich Hill (www.latimes.com)- ^ Jayson Werth (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Daniel Murphy (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Joe Blanton (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Anthony Rendon (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Ryan Zimmerman (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Clint Robinson (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Bryce Harper (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Max Scherzer (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Corey Seager (www.latimes.com)
- ^ Shawn Kelley (www.latimes.com)
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