After the Los Angeles Dodgers lost three of four games to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the annual Freeway Series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed frustration over his club’s inability to establish any sort of consistency.
Injuries, a shaky bullpen and starting rotation (outside of Clayton Kershaw), and offensive woes have left the Dodgers toiling around .500 for much of May. Roberts’ comments were followed by the Dodgers losing consecutive games to the San Diego Padres in walk-off fashion.
The second of which came on a walk-off walk, which left the rookie manager at a loss for words when attempting to discuss and assess what transpired.
Needing a win on Sunday to avoid being swept by the Padres, the Dodgers fought back from a 4-0 deficit. However, they lost a lead and the afternoon affair at Petco Park turned into a marathon of game.
Armed with a roster that included Chin-Hui Tsao being unavailable due to soreness, and a limited Yasmani Grandal, Roberts maneuvered the pieces he did have en route to a win in 17 innings.
When asked what the victory meant for his team, Roberts said there are positives to take away from it and expressed hope it would serve as a launching point, via Ken Gurnick and Jay Paris of MLB.com:
“A lot of great things happened today,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. “As a fan, you can appreciate the pitching and defense. Inside the clubhouse, we’re celebrating Chase Utley’s defense, and the ‘pen was unbelievable, they were stretched and gave us zeros. To a man, everyone contributed. I believe it can really propel us.”
Having burned through all his available relievers, Roberts turned to Ross Stripling on two days’ rest. Stripling responded to throw three scoreless innings, earning his second career win. That was made possible in part because of a beleaguered bullpen answering the bell.
Like Stripling, J.P. Howell also turned in three shutout frames. And of course there wouldn’t have been a win without some offense. Having gone through a frustrating afternoon, Yasiel Puig delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded to put the Dodgers ahead in the 17th.
The Dodgers now face the Cincinnati Reds for a quick three-game homestand to conclude the stretch of 20 games in 20 days. They’ll spend Thursday traveling, and start a seven-game road trip on Friday with the opener of a three-game set against the New York Mets.
