New York (AFP) – Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts rested his top relief pitchers in an 11-4 World Series loss to the New York Yankees, and that might be the key to an eventual title. On the brink of a sweep in the best-of-seven Major League Baseball championship spectacle, the Dodgers fell behind 5-2 after three innings, and even though they got within a run, Roberts avoided the temptation to use his best bullpen staff, saving their arms to try and take a title-winning triumph another day.
“We’re still in a pretty good spot and we feel good. We’ll be ready to go tomorrow,” Roberts said, looking ahead to Wednesday’s game five at Yankee Stadium. “We knew it was a bullpen game,” said Roberts of his plan to have his short-range pitchers handle much of the job of getting 27 outs. “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.”
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The Dodgers are set to start Jack Flaherty, a right-hander, on the mound in game five, with Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto in game six if needed and Walker Buehler in a potential seventh game. By getting four innings from reliever Landon Knack, bigger names from the bullpen were saved to throw strikes another day when the situation might better favor the Dodgers. They will be able to count on a rested relief staff as a result of those pitchers staying out of the game four rout.
“I feel great,” Roberts said. “It’s about the guys you have available. They are all rested so we have guys that can do up down…we’re in a great spot.” Dodgers pitching had baffled Yankees batters through the first three games, and even though Freddie Freeman hit a two-run home run in the first inning, Roberts stuck to his plan. “We were excited. Those guys unfortunately answered back,” Roberts said. “It was a good ballgame — until it wasn’t.”
Roberts knew anyone who threw in game four was out for game five. “It’s challenging. I think you’ve got to be certain that you can score some runs,” Roberts said. “Certainly any guy we use would have not been able to pitch tomorrow. Being down to going into that last half (of the game), it just doesn’t make sense to use one of your leverage guys.”
Roberts was pleased with the play of Japanese star Shohei Ohtani, playing despite a partially dislocated left shoulder suffered last Saturday in a game two win. “We’ve asked him many times over, and it’s not impeding. He doesn’t feel it,” Roberts said. “I think it’s been fine so far. He actually slid tonight. So I don’t think that it’s been a problem.”
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