According to Fansided, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts may have made a mistake in puttingRoki Sasaki in to close the ninth inning against the Brewers. Los Angeles faced Milwaukee during Game 1 of the Major League Baseball Championship Series, a game that the Florida team won in miraculous fashion, as the hosts had the chance to tie and even come from behind.
The Dodgers are the heavy favorites to win the MLB, yes. But let’s not forget that the Brewers made the playoffs as the team with the best record during the regular season. On the other side of the bracket, in the American League, the Seattle Mariners are already 2-0 up on the Toronto Blue Jays, who made it look like after dispatching the Yankees they would be coming into the Championship Series with everything.
Blake Snell shines while Roki Sasaki is overshadowed
The Dodgers got eight great innings from Blake Snell. Los Angeles signed Snell to a five-year, $182 million contract last winter for moments like this. While Snell is injury-prone, he is now healthy and excelled tremendously. The left-hander had 10 strikeouts with just one walk and allowed just one hit to the Brewers; he was removed from the game after his eighth scoreless inning.
According to the Fansided article, given the way Snell was pitching when he was taken out, he probably could have taken the ninth. Instead, Roberts went with young Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, a move he may regret. The Dodgers avoided falling on Monday night, albeit barely. Roberts turned to Sasaki, who has become Los Angeles’ closer-by-committee leader.
Sasaki had been excellent in the playoffs. In just under an inning pitched, Sasaki allowed a hit, a run and walked two Milwaukee batters. Roberts finally had to replace him with Blake Treinen, who nearly gave up the lead in his own right. The important thing here is the confidence of the young Japanese star, which may have been affected after being relieved before the save.
Dave Roberts delays Shohei Ohtani’s debut
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday that Japanese star Shohei Ohtani will start a game in the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, although he preferred not to specify the date. “We already know when Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow will pitch at Dodger Stadium, but I don’t want to reveal it for strategic reasons,” the manager said.
Roberts also denied that Ohtani’s poor offensive performance was the reason for his exclusion from the mound in the first two games of the series. However, various sources close to the organization indicate that the decision could be related to the need for the player to recalibrate his batting, after a limited performance in the previous round.
In the Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Ohtani managed just one hit in 18 at-bats. This contrasted with his performance in the wild-card round against the Cincinnati Reds, where he had three hits, including two home runs, and drove in four runs. During the regular season, the Japanese phenom posted a solid offensive line, hitting .282 with 55 home runs and 146 runs scored.
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