Dodgers punt, preserve best relievers for Game 5
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
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.”
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is set.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. became the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He was followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins, Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays, Brent Rooker of the Athletics and Jazz Chisholm Jr. of the New York Yankees.
On Friday, however, Acuna was replaced by teammate Matt Olson.
With all the entrants announced, let’s break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 434 feet
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
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