An electric atmosphere. The Dodgers’ best against the Phillies’ best. A lead against Shohei Ohtani on the mound. It’s everything the team would have wanted going the top of the seventh inning.
And then
David Robertson went back out to the mound.
The game began with Cristopher Sanchez setting down the Dodgers’ top three hitters in order and looking quite comfortable doing so. Ohtani came out in his half of the first and did the same. From the jump, a pitcher’s duel looked like it was on tap. In their half of the second inning, the Phillies put together something that hasn’t happened to Ohtani in a month: a crooked number. Alec Bohm walked and Brandon Marsh singled to start it, bringing J.T. Realmuto up to the plate. He hit a laser beam that Teoscar Hernandez misplayed horribly into a triple.
Harrison Bader would hit a one out sacrifice fly to score Realmuto and the Phillies had a 3-0 lead on the Dodgers’ ace, something that Sanchez started to look like it would hold. He was incredible for the first five innings, even as the lineup started running deeper counts and getting better looks at him. He was everything the team could have wanted, but the Phillies’ lineup could do nothing.
Getting to Ohtani in the second inning was big, but the tension needed to be kept on him. The team could not allow him to get comfortable and with the top of the order due up in the third, it was imperative that better at bats were taken.
They were not taken.
Ohtani would eventually settle in and start to dominate the Phillies. The Dodgers offense would try and get something going in the fifth inning, getting their leadoff hitter on and Andy Pages up, who hit a looping fly ball that looked as though it would drop, but Bader came through with a huge clutch catch.
In the bottom of the fifth, two runners got on for the top of the lineup, but as has happened far too often of late, they could not do anything as Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber lined out and struck out, respectively, to keep the game at 3-0. In the sixth, Sanchez started to crack. A two out walk to Freddie Freeman and a single to Tommy Edman brought up Enrique Hernandez. Hernandez has had clutch moments in playoffs past and tonight, he did it again.
David Robertson would come in and get pinch hitter Max Muncy to ground out to end the inning, but the momentum seemed to shift back. The bullpen just needed nine more outs to end the game and had a full complement of relievers to figure out that calculus…
…but David Robertson was allowed to come back out for the seventh.
A head scratching decision at the start, it was made to look worse when Robertson was unable to get the first two hitters out to bring up Ohtani yet again, but this time, Rob Thomson went to Matt Strahm.
Showing fortitude from the lower half of his body, Strahm struck out Ohtani for the fourth time on the evening, induced a pop up from Mookie Betts and only had Hernandez standing between him and October glory.
It was not to be.
Crushing.
The Dodgers were forced to go to their bullpen, something the Phillies were relishing, but instead of a beleaguered member of that unit, Dave Roberts went with Tyler Glasnow instead. Realmuto reached on an error to begin the frame, which was followed by a Max Kepler fly out to bring up…Nick Castellanos?
Huh?
In the moment, the move looked downright foolish with Bader the batter due up, but we found out later the center fielder had to leave with a hamstring strain. Castellanos grounded out and the air continued to leak from the balloon.
Orion Kerkering of course looked outstanding in his inning, giving the Phillies another crack at Glasnow. They would load the bases with two outs, chasing Glasnow from the game for Brandon Marsh. Marsh was pinch hit for, Thomson correctly using Edmundo Sosa in the situation, but a fly ball to center field was a bit too short of the fence and the inning, and the team’s final best chance, was over.
In the ninth, Roki Sasaki continued a late season resurgence as a closer, coming in and dazzling the Phillies’ hitters. Kepler got on with a double and one out, but neither Castellanos nor Stott could do anything against the young Japanese hurler and the game was over.
The decision to bring Robertson back out with a fully rested bullpen will questioned and rightly so, but the real issue lies with the lineup doing nothing outside of the damage in the second inning. The top of the lineup went 1 for 12, Schwarber looking particularly bad in his at bats. Hittable pitches were there, but nothing could be done.
Now the team needs to wait an extra day to get back out and try and get back in the series. Game 2 is Monday night at 6:00.
