The Los Angeles Dodgers completed a sweep of the San Diego Padres with a 5-4 win on Sunday, which saw Alex Vesia record the final five outs of the game.
The left-hander inherited two runners from Alexis Díaz in the eighth and allowed the Padres to even the score at 4-4 on a groundout before getting out of the inning.
After Mookie Betts homered to put the Dodgers back on top in the bottom of the frame, Vesia returned to the mound for the ninth.
The 29-year-old was able to convince manager Dave Roberts to let him finish the game despite his recent struggles.
“Obviously we got the two outs, the run scored and we were tied, and then they told me I was done,” Vesia said. “I was just like, ‘No.’ I told Doc, I walked up to him and was like, ‘If we’re up, I want it.’ He was like, ‘OK, you got it.’
“Sure enough, Mook bang, home run. Sweet, let’s go. So then after that it was just one pitch at a time. Great win and onto the next one. We’ve got Colorado.”
Vesia had allowed at least one run in four consecutive appearances before his scoreless effort against the Padres on Sunday.
“You kind of force yourself into those situations, where I wanted the ball and Doc trusts me in that spot,” Vesia said. “That gave me a lot of confidence as well.
“I went over the scouting report with Mark, and Will and I were on the same page from the get-go. When it clicks like that, all I tell myself is just go out there and execute.”
Vesia’s willingness to pitch the ninth inning also saved a beleaguered Dodgers bullpen that was short on options.
“Kind of seeing who we had and whatnot, I get it, but I don’t really think about that stuff,” Vesia said. “It’s not my call.
“I just told Doc that I felt good. I didn’t really throw that many or feel super taxed or whatnot. I wanted the ball. We scored, and it worked.”
Dave Roberts went with ‘gut’ in trusting Alex Vesia
Roberts said his trust in Vesia was one of the deciding factors in sending him back to the mound for the ninth inning.
“My gut,” Roberts explained. “And he came to me, to be quite honest, and said, ‘I want the ninth if we take the lead.’
“It’s one of those moments where you’ve got to just trust your player, and I trusted him.”
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