The Los Angeles Dodgers began their series against the Boston Red Sox with what essentially became a punt game, where they conceded a potential win to save their pitching staff.
The Dodgers ended up losing 9-4 while Cole Irvin covered six innings and allowed six runs on eight hits. Irvin was recalled earlier in the day when Brock Stewart landed on the injured list, and he is expected to be removed from the roster on Saturday.
In the middle of the game, the Dodgers took the lead after a two-run homer from Shohei Ohtani. But in the seventh inning, the Red Sox scored five runs as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts left in Irvin to continue eating innings.
“You have to sometimes take it on the chin to then give yourself a chance to win the series, and that’s kind of what you have to do,” Roberts explained. “It never feels good when you’re in it, but that’s what you have to do.”
The Dodgers have prioritized resting their pitchers when necessary, even if it comes at the expense of a win. Given the injuries in the rotation, the Dodgers have only five starting pitchers, prompting a bullpen game to keep everyone else on schedule.
Roberts also revealed that Edwin Díaz, Tanner Scott and Jack Dreyer were unavailable to pitch. That left the Dodgers with Irvin, Edgardo Henriquez, Will Klein, Evan Phillips, and Alex Vesia to get them through all nine innings.
For competitors who want to win every game, it’s difficult to be part of a punt game while it’s happening, but the players are also understanding of the situation and recognize that the goal is to win in October, not go undefeated in July.
“I know, I know, it is hard,” Freddie Freeman said. “But there’s a few guys down in our bullpen. It’s just kind of the nature of the beast of a 162-game schedule with nine games in a row. It’s kind of how it is.
“But if we had scored more runs, we would have had Vesia and all of them coming into the game. So it’s on us to score more runs, and we just didn’t do it today.”
Everything the Dodgers do is focused on putting themselves in the best position to win the World Series. Instead of pushing their pitchers to win a game in July while they already have a significant division lead, they think it’s more beneficial to essentially concede a game and get their pitching staff reset and rested for the next games.
“Like I said, it never feels good in it,” Roberts said. “But then when you look back, and you go, ‘Okay, we sort of reset, gives us a chance to win the next game.’ But you just can’t chase every single win every single night. It’s just not responsible, and it’s just not the right process.”
It may be upsetting to the players, coaches, and fans during the game, but it’s a strategy the Dodgers have employed for years now and will continue to use moving forward. And over the last two years, it hasn’t hurt their chances of winning the World Series.
Dodgers playing well in 2026
Even with giving up a win, the Dodgers still have the best record in MLB with 69 wins and a 63% winning percentage. The Dodgers also have an 11-game lead in the National League West over the second-place Arizona Diamondbacks, and their +155 run differential is the best in MLB by 19.
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