PHOENIX — The Dodgers may’ve lastly discovered a solution to their long-maddening bullpen issues.
Simply use some starters.
In a 5-4 extra-innings win over the Arizona Diamondbacks that lowered their magic quantity to clinch the Nationwide League West to 1, the Dodgers once more squandered a late-game lead when their conventional relievers faltered. They nonetheless didn’t make successful look so simple as it ought to have.
However win, they did on this night time — thanks largely to 2 scoreless innings of aid from Roki Sasaki and Clayton Kershaw.
The sport wasn’t determined till the eleventh inning, when Tommy Edman gave the Dodgers a lead they lastly wouldn’t relinquish.
It by no means would’ve gotten there, nevertheless, with out the contributions of Sasaki and Kershaw out of the bullpen.
Activated from the injured listing shortly earlier than the sport, and making his first look within the majors since struggling a shoulder harm in early Could, Sasaki flashed promising indicators with a scoreless body within the backside of the seventh, defending a 3-1 lead the crew had been staked to by Blake Snell’s six-inning, one-run begin, and an early offensive outburst that included a two-run homer from Andy Pages.
Sasaki’s fastball averaged 98-99 mph, was positioned with precision on the corners of the strike zone, and even induced a few swing-and-misses, issues he by no means did persistently whereas posting a 4.72 ERA in eight begins at first of the season.
He paired it with a trademark splitter that was additionally commanded with extra precision than at any level in his preliminary MLB stint.
Sasaki wanted solely 13 pitches to retire the facet so as, punctuating his outing with a pair of strikeouts on 99-mph four-seamers. As he walked again to the dugout, he glanced towards his teammates with a stoic glare. Nearly all of them, together with Shohei Ohtani, applauded in approval.
Catastrophe did strike within the eighth, after the Dodgers prolonged their result in 4-1 on Teoscar Hernández’s RBI double within the prime half of the inning.
The bullpen’s one season-long stalwart, Alex Vesia, bumped into bother by giving up a single to Ketel Marte, a stroll to Geraldo Perdomo, and an RBI double to Corbin Carroll — all with one out.
Arduous-throwing rookie righty Edgardo Henriquez couldn’t put out the hearth from there, giving up one run on a swinging bunt from Gabriel Moreno in entrance of the plate that spun away from catcher Ben Rortvedt, then one other when pinch-hitter Adrian Del Castillo stayed alive on a beneficiant two-strike name (which was little question impacted by Rortvedt dropping the pitch behind the plate) earlier than lifting a sacrifice fly to heart.
For the second straight night time, a late-game three-run lead had evaporated into skinny air.
This time, nevertheless, supervisor Dave Roberts had a brand new card to play. An evening after Kershaw volunteered to pitch in aid, the longer term Corridor of Fame left-hander was summoned for the ninth inning.
In what was his first aid look for the reason that notorious fifth sport of the 2019 NL Division Sequence, Kershaw was efficient. He retired the facet so as with the assistance of a diving catch from Tommy Edman in heart. He appeared snug within the type of high-leverage aid position the Dodgers may want him to fill come October.
In extras, the remainder of the bullpen lastly held up. Blake Treinen inherited a bases-loaded jam with two out within the tenth, however bought James McCann to fly out to shallow proper discipline. Justin Wrobleski (one other pitcher who started this season as a starter) was handed a save state of affairs within the eleventh, after Edman singled house a run together with his third hit of the night time, and retired all three batters he confronted.
