Dodgers punt, preserve best relievers in G4 loss

NEW YORK — As the game 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 that his offense might come all the way back, giving himself 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 Wednesday’s 11-4 loss to the New York Yankees in Game 4. 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 Game 3 on Tuesday. It got them the 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 the unheralded Ben Casparius and Landon Knack to tackle six of the first seven innings, during which they allowed only two runs. When the eighth inning arrived, L.A. trailed by just two runs. But rather than pluck from his group of high-leverage arms — a group 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 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 back to 2021. 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, allowed a single to Jazz Chisholm Jr., walked Giancarlo Stanton and, after getting Anthony Rizzo to pop up for the second out, served up a grand slam to 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 and 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 from Yankee Stadium on Wednesday night, it’ll be Jack Flaherty going up 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 coming out of an off day, with another one to follow.

The Dodgers essentially lost one game in hopes that 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.”