The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the ninth inning against the Detroit Tigers with a five-run lead, a 99% win probability, and three outs away from, at minimum, a series win heading into the All-Star break.
The Dodgers bullpen has been overworked recently, and they once again had to cover four innings in the game. Still, the offense gave them a significant lead to work with.
With that lead, Ricky Vanasco was called upon as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts figured the rookie could protect a five-run lead and give the rest of the bullpen a breather.
The inning stared with a single, another single and a two-run double, making it a three-run game with a runner in scoring position. That was all for Vanasco as Roberts quickly went to his closer.
Evan Phillips recorded the first two outs, and it seemed like the Dodgers were once again on their way to winning the game. But the next hitter singled to drive in another run and put the tying run at the plate.
On the first pitch, Phillips threw a cutter in to Colt Keith, who blasted a game-tying homer. The lead had evaporated, along with the Dodgers hopes of winning the game.
The Dodgers have not often collapsed like that, which was noted by Roberts, who expressed his frustration with how his club lost, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“It’s just not us. It just doesn’t happen. It certainly happened today,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the shocking collapse. “But where you’re backed up against pitching as far as usage and trying to figure out how to get through the game today and win the game and then be able to cover the game the next day to potentially win the next day … we had a five-run lead. There’s just no excuse for us losing that game.”
Roberts managed the inning well enough. There was no reason to start the inning with a high-leverage arm with that big of a lead, and he wasn’t able to remove Vanasco until he faced three batters.
Even then, Roberts could have opted to let him try to pitch out of it with a three-run lead still on the board, but instead, he showed some urgency and went to Phillips.
After that decision, Roberts felt good about winning the game, as he should have:
“Absolutely. We had a two-run lead with a man on first base with two outs. I felt great,” Roberts said. “You don’t want to use him in a back-to-back game with a five-run lead, so having him get the fourth hitter just to kind of minimize the damage was what the thought was, because he was going to be down tomorrow.
“But you’re still trying to win the game today so you’ve got to deploy him and unfortunately we just couldn’t finish the game.”
Phillips made a quality pitch to Keith, who just beat him, which happens in baseball. You tip your cap and move on when things like that happen.
But up to that point and into extra innings, the Dodgers’ pitching staff made too many mistakes, which the Tigers took advantage of, Austin Barnes said about the collapse:
“We just didn’t make enough pitches today. Either it was sequencing or leaving balls over the plate,” Barnes said. “They had some good at-bats. And we just didn’t put them away.
“Five-run lead in the ninth – those hurt, obviously. To give that up and not being able to get them through that, it sucks.”
After blowing the lead in the ninth, the Dodgers loaded the bases with one out in the 10th, but Freddie Freeman hit into a double play.
Gio Urshela then blasted a two-run walk-off home run against Yohan Ramírez to clinch the win.
The Dodgers now look to turn the page and win the series on Sunday as they head into the break, and the best thing they can do is not let the sting of that game linger too long.
Dodgers pitching moves
The Dodgers are expecting to add two fresh arms to their pitching staff on Sunday. One of them will be Brent Honeywell, who was claimed off waivers on Saturday. It remains to be seen who else joins the club.
Vanaso is likely one of the odd-men out, and they could also chose to option Justin Wrobleski with the break coming up.
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