By now, I am sure you all know about the Dodgers meltdown in Game 5 of the NLDS, you know, the elimination winner-take-all game if you didn't watch it. Dave Roberts has made questionable postseason decisions in the past, but tonight might have been his worst and a perfect illustration of why we were so lucky to have Bruce Bochy managing the Giants postseason runs of 2010, 2013 and 2014 and why he is going to the Hall of Fame.
The postgame commentators on TBS were critical of Roberts for letting Clayton Kershaw pitch the 8'th inning after striking out Adam Eaton on 3 pitches to end the 7'th. Even though Bochy used Madison Bumgarner to close out Game 7 of the WS in 2014, I'm not sure he would be using his ace SP's in relief game after game like managers are doing this year. Nevertheless, I didn't think it was so bad for Roberts to try to let Kershaw get the game to Kenley Jansen for the 9'th. What I don't understand is why on Earth, in a tie game at home, an elimination game, no less, Roberts would not bring Jansen in after Joe Kelly walked Eaton to lead off the 10'th inning. The home closer cannot get a Save in extra innings, so you use him in the 9'th and/or 10'th innings trying to give your team a chance for a walkoff. Now, the Nationals didn't seem to be seeing Kelly well in the 9'th, so I can understand Roberts wanting to get another inning out of him, but my gosh, after he walked the leadoff batter, I'm thinking, Bruce Bochy would be walking to the mound right about now. Jansen was already warmed up!
So several narratives continued to play out tonight: 1. Dodgers futility in the postseason. 2. Clayton Kershaw's postseason struggles continue(I actually felt sorry for him tonight, but not enough to wish the Dodgers had won the game). 3. Dave Roberts continues to lose postseason games with his decisionmaking, the type of decisions opposing managers made repeatedly but Bruce Bochy did not make during the Giants 3 postseason runs.
I actually had a terrible thought after this game: I wonder if the Dodgers might fire Dave Roberts and hire Bruce Bochy to manage them in 2020?
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Speaking of terrible thoughts: Joey Bart was hit on the hand with a pitch in last night's Arizona Fall League game and suffered a non-displaced fracture of his thumb. It should be all healed in about 6 weeks and he should be ready for spring training, but a second hand fracture from a HBP in one season is just a bit disconcerting.
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Great decade for Giants fans- 3 world series wins! and watching the dodgers choke year after year in the playoffs. I think the blame can be spread around for last night's dodgers loss. The only thing that shocked me was not going to Jansen after that lead off walk issued by Kelly. Then again I understand that Jansen hasn't been lights out this year either. So maybe their fans should be critical of the Dodgers front office for not going all in to acquire the pitching pieces that they needed to get them over the top.. The blame should be spread around...
ReplyDeleteYeah, my thought watching Soto destroy Kershaw's hanging slider to tie the game was, "No, not Kershaw. Anyone but Kershaw."
ReplyDeleteI feel bad for the guy. Shame he's a Dodger.