Dodgers punt, preserve best relievers for Game 5

NEW YORK — As Game 4 evolved and the margin shrank, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was confronted with an interesting choice — the type one hardly confronts in the high-stakes environment of a World Series. One was to use his best relievers in hopes his offense might come all the way back, giving the Dodgers the best possible opportunity to clinch a title. The other was to essentially punt, utilizing lower-leverage relievers to save his best arms for another day.

Roberts clearly chose the latter approach in Tuesday’s 11-4 loss to the New York Yankees. The hope — with his team still up 3-1 and a win away from a championship — is that it will pay off in the very near future.

“It’s challenging,” Roberts said. “I think you’ve got to be certain that you can score some runs. Certainly any guy we use tonight would have not been able to pitch tomorrow.”

The Dodgers burned through six high-leverage relievers who combined to throw 100 pitches in Monday’s Game 3. It earned them a victory that provided a commanding lead in this best-of-seven series, but it severely compromised the bullpen game that would be staged 24 hours later.

The Dodgers used unheralded Ben Casparius and Landon Knack to tackle six of Game 4’s first seven innings, during which they gave up only two runs. When the eighth inning arrived, L.A. trailed by two. But rather than pluck from his group of high-leverage arms — fronted by Blake Treinen, who warmed up in Game 3 but did not pitch — Roberts handed the ball to Brent Honeywell, a long reliever who did yeoman’s work by bailing out the bullpen in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series but is nonetheless low in the pecking order.

Honeywell proceeded to give up five runs, turning Game 4 into a rout.

Asked if it was tempting to chase a victory in that situation, Roberts said: “No. Not 6-4 in the eighth it wasn’t. No.”

The Dodgers’ bullpen limits first presented themselves much earlier. Freddie Freeman had once again provided an early lead for L.A. with a two-run homer in the first inning to set a record by hitting a home run in six consecutive World Series games dating to 2021, when he was with the Atlanta Braves. But the Yankees tacked on a run in the second and went off for four more in the third against Daniel Hudson, the only high-leverage reliever the Dodgers wound up using in Game 4.

Hudson, who also threw 22 pitches in Game 3, plunked Aaron Judge, gave up a single to Jazz Chisholm Jr., walked Giancarlo Stanton and, after getting Anthony Rizzo to pop up for the second out, was tagged for a grand slam by Anthony Volpe, giving the Yankees a 5-2 lead. That third inning, Roberts said, was Hudson’s to take down, regardless of how it went.

“That was his inning,” Roberts said. “I think he was at 20 pitches, something like that. He had Volpe up, so I’m not going to get somebody in the third inning to get Volpe when he just popped a guy up.”

The Dodgers successfully used a bullpen game to keep their season alive in Game 4 of the NL Division Series then again to clinch a pennant in Game 6 of the NLCS. But it also backfired in Game 2 of the NLCS and in Game 4 of this round. They’re now done with that. If the World Series extends far enough to return to Los Angeles, the Dodgers will have Yoshinobu Yamamoto set to take the ball in Game 6 and Walker Buehler in line to start a winner-take-all Game 7.

Before that, for Game 5 at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, it’ll be Jack Flaherty against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. But Flaherty will have help. Treinen, who has been used for four or more outs four times in this postseason, will be four days removed from his last appearance. Brusdar Graterol, Alex Vesia, Anthony Banda, Ryan Brasier and Michael Kopech will be available after a day off, with another one to follow, if needed.

The Dodgers essentially lost one game in hopes it will help them win another.

“We knew it was a bullpen game,” Roberts said. “As far as outcomes — to have six guys in your pen that are feeling good, rested, I feel good about that. And being up 3-1.”