The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of the NLDS despite things getting much closer than they needed to in the ninth inning.
When manager Dave Roberts gave right-hander Blake Treinen the nod to come out of the bullpen with a 4-1 lead, the veteran reliever mustered just 12 pitches, allowing two earned runs and failing to record an out. The skipper spoke on his decision to put Treinen in the game in that scenario, and what he didn’t see from the All-Star reliever.
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“I felt that he was getting some momentum before that last one,” Roberts said. “So I’ll check in on him. But there’s ways of how you go about an outing, successful or not successful, and how a player carries himself matters to me.
“There was definitely a different look, which — he’s got great pedigree in biggest of spots. But, you know, I just didn’t see that edge last night that I know I’ve seen it many times over.”
Treinen had a miserable month of September to close out the regular season, pitching to the tune of a 9.64 ERA across his 12 outings.
To both Treinen and Roberts’ credit, the 37-year-old reliever allowed just one hit in two appearances during the Wild Card round against the Cincinnati Reds. Treinen also has quite the resume during the Dodgers’ last postseason appearance which may have factored into Roberts’ decision.
On the road to a World Series win last season, Treinen had a 2.19 ERA across nine appearances. This featured three saves, two holds, and being credited with two wins in Games 1 and 5 of the Fall Classic.
This season hasn’t been the same Treinen, and that must be addressed before his next October outing. Without many arms to rely on out of the bullpen as is, Roberts has to stick with a small circle of those he can trust in relief.
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Photo Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
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