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The Los Angeles Dodgers narrowly escaped a dangerous ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies to take a 2-0 series lead in the National League Division Series.
Read more: Dodgers Escape Phillies in NLDS Game 2, Take Commanding 2-0 Series Lead
The game shouldn’t have been as close as the 4-3 final score would indicate, but as the bullpen has consistently done lately (especially after a starting pitcher throwing a gem), things got more tense than they needed to after the relievers took over.
Blake Snell got things started with six scoreless innings, punching out nine batters along the way. He allowed just one hit and walked four, but after the offense took the game over in the top of the seventh inning — putting up four runs — Emmet Sheehan got the ball in the bottom of the frame.
Sheehan was solid for the seventh inning, but would allow a run in the eighth. Instead of going with Sheehan for a third inning — or even Roki Sasaki, who not only allowed just one hit and no earned runs in his two postseason relief appearances but was seen warming up in the seventh inning — manager Dave Roberts went with Blake Treinen.
Treinen ended his regular season with a 9.64 ERA during his 9.1 innings in September and raised many question marks going into the postseason. The 37-year-old right-hander did pitch 1.1 innings during the Wild Card series, allowing just one hit and no earned runs in that time. However, many believed that Sasaki should have taken the ball once again.
Roberts spoke after the game on getting Treinen in for the ninth instead of the young right-hander.
“I thought about it,” Roberts said of going to Sasaki. “He hasn’t gone two of three much, at all. Just figuring the run right there, Blake’s pitched some of the biggest outs, innings in the postseason for us. And felt really confident right there. And with (Alex) Vesia behind him, if needed. So I didn’t want to just, kind of, preemptively put (Sasaki) in there. Again, I felt good with who we had with a couple of our highest-leverage relievers.”
He added: “Fortunately, [Sasaki] was ready when called upon. I liked him versus Trea [Turner] and he got a big out for us.”
After Treinen’s 12 pitches and two earned runs, Alex Vesia would come in to secure two outs, but it was Sasaki then trotted out of the bullpen to close Game 2 of the NLDS against former Dodger Trea Turner.
More news: Blake Treinen Calls Roki Sasaki a ‘Godsend’ for Dodgers
Photo Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
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