Dodgers: Insider Feels Lack of Closer Backfired for Roberts in NLDS
There’s a lot of reason to be frustrated with how the postseason finished out. The Dodgers finished the regular season with the best record in baseball, the Dodgers were beating teams on both sides of the ball and Dave Roberts guaranteed a World Series championship during Spring Training.
The bet seemed to be paying off with the star studded talent all over the roster, but soon the glaring issues with the pitching unit became apparent with the number of injuries and the Craig Kimbrel closer saga. This led to the Dodgers entering the postseason without a designated closer and lack of pitching against a red hot Padres team.
Craig Kimbrel walking out to Let It Go is the next great closer entrance pic.twitter.com/q4ktLqgTCg
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 7, 2022
This was the recipe for disaster as the Padres inevitably beat the Dodgers with the gentleman’s sweep. All of the issues became magnified in the postseason but LA insider David Vassigh believes a major backfire of the Dodgers was Roberts not designating a closer (quotes via Petros and Money, iHeartRadio).
“And also, what are they going to do to address their closer? Craig Kimbrel will not be back and the Dodgers removed him from that role at the end of the year. And you kind of saw the difference between the Padres and Dodgers where whey could work backwards and shorten the game and the Dodgers were counting on multiple pitchers and that’s always a roll of the dice because very few times are five or six pitchers on their game all on the same night.”
It’s easy to point and blame all the little issues that ended up being a big disappointment for the Dodgers, but this also tells the world that just because you look like the best team it doesn’t mean you will win. There are many questions left to be answered for the team, but for now fans can just look back and stay aggravated about what could’ve been a fantastic season.
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Let’s call a spade a spade here. The problem predates the designating of a closer. The problem goes back to not ensuring the Dodgers entered the season with a closer and then not doing something to address it again at the trade deadline. There were obviously options out there and the lack of action prior to the trade deadline was the real culprit. Full stop.
You can cut this anyway you want to, but the Dodgers did not hit! There is merit to Vassegh’s argument, but the Dodgers DID NOT HIT!
At the trade deadline I said all they needed was a closer. Hader was available. They should have traded for him. Imagine going into the series with the Padres with Hader on the Dodgers, not on the Padres, roster. Getting Chris Martin worked out well, but Hader could have made the difference.