The Los Angeles Dodgers held on for a 4-3 win over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of the National League Division Series after another near meltdown by the bullpen.
Emmet Sheenan took over for Blake Snell in the seventh and wound up allowing one run over two innings of work. It was a bounce-back performance for the right-hander, who struggled in his only appearance during the Wild Card Series.
The Dodgers then turned to Blake Treinen in the ninth inning and he immediately struggled. A leadoff single followed by back-to-back doubles cut the Dodgers’ lead to 4-3 before an out was recorded.
Treinen faced just the three batters before giving way to Alex Vesia, who recorded two outs. One of which came with the Dodgers pulling off a wheel play to get an out at third base when the Phillies attempted a sacrifice bunt.
Roki Sasaki then entered the game and put out the fire by retiring Trea Turner for his second save of the postseason.
The decision to not use Sasaki from the start raised some questions given his success as a reliever, but manager Dave Roberts explained he was reluctant to use the 23-year-old for the second time in three days.
“I thought about it,” Roberts answered when asked why Sasaki didn’t begin the ninth inning. “He hasn’t gone two out 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. Felt really confident right there and with Vesia behind him if needed. So I didn’t want to just kind of, you know, preemptively put him in there.
“Again, I felt good with who we had, with our leverage relievers, a couple of our highest-leverage relievers. And fortunately he was ready when called upon. I liked him versus Trea and he got a big out for us.”
Treinen is among the veteran Dodgers relievers to struggle this season, but Roberts has continued to place his trust in them due to their track records and experience pitching in big games.
Prior to his appearance against the Phillies, Treinen had strung together three consecutive scoreless games.
Dave Roberts believes Roki Sasaki can provide spark
Although Roberts didn’t necessarily want to use Sasaki in Game 2, the rookie pitcher once again rose to the occasion and showed that he can be a spark to the Dodgers bullpen.
“I think so. I hope so,” Roberts answered late last week when asked if Sasaki can provide a boost to a Dodgers bullpen that as a whole has underwhelmed.
“I hope it’s something that energizes the guys in the ‘pen, motivates them, because everyone wants innings and opportunities. And so hopefully with what Roki’s done, motivates guys to go after guys and pitch well, and so they can earn those opportunities as well.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
