The Dodgers lost to the Astros last night 5-3 in Game 3 of the World Series, and it was pretty much a worst case scenario loss for them. Yu Darvish took the mound, and he was supposed to stifle the suddenly resurgent Astros offense. That really didn’t happen. Darvish was chased from the game inthe second (!!!) inning, while Astros starter Lance McCullers had no problems keeping the Dodgers in line. The Dodgers got just four hits all night. The Astros? 12.
The Dodgers used a lot of pitchers to lose Game 3
In Saturday’s Say Hey, Baseball, we look at the Dodgers’ pitcher usage, 25-year-old baseball cards, and how to channel your Joe Mauer anger.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
The biggest issue is how many pitchers manager Dave Roberts used to lose the game, which was a lot. After Darvish was chased, there was Kenta Maeda, then Tony Watson, Brandon Morrow, and Tony Cingrani. Oh, and Ross Stripling, too. Five relievers over seven-plus innings isn’t all that economical. The only one to pitch more than an inning was Maeda. Roberts just tossed relievers on the mound, opting for volume rather than a true long relief performance from anyone. It’s not totally insane, because the game was winnable for the Dodgers at nearly every point until the final out was gotten.
But Roberts has put himself in a difficult position. He sent five relievers to the mound and totally gassed at least one (Maeda), if not two (Watson). World Series rosters aren’t infinite. Roberts has a limited number of relievers to work with, and two of them are out of commission. There is no respite from World Series games until Monday, so Roberts is going to have to be very smart with his bullpen in the next two games in Houston. Compare that to the Astros last night: McCullers went 5.1, and then Brad Peacock took the mound — and he didn’t give it back. In a major show of faith (and cojones) from manager A.J. Hinch, Peacock turned in a stunning 3.2 inning save, and even Peacock himself surprised that he did it.
In a few days, we might look back at this game as a turning point in the series. Because last night, for perhaps the first time in the entire playoffs, the Dodgers looked beatable — and the Astros looked unstoppable.
- During Game 3, Yuli Gurriel made a racist gesture in the dugout that explicitly mocked Yu Darvish. It was offensive and inappropriate, and he should absolutely be suspended for it.
- If you’ve been watching postseason games, you’re incredibly familiar with the commercials. Grant Brisbee answered our subconscious prayers and ranked the worst of them, which had to be hard because so many of them are bad.
- Before Game 3 of the World Series, Houston hero J.J. Watt threw out the ceremonial first pitch. His pitch had home plate distance, which is impressive considering he was on crutches.
- The Brewers were unexpectedly competitive this season, but that doesn’t mean they’re ready to stop building. Orlando Arcia could bring back a nice return — if GM David Stearns is willing to part with him.
- With the initial shock of Joe Girardi’s technical non-firing wearing off, Pinstripe Alley looked at five possible replacements.
- The Giants are joining all the “cool” teams and shaking up their coaching staff, but the reasons behind that aren’t entirely clear.
- The Braves will have to keep on looking for a GM, because the Royals denied them permission to talk to Dayton Moore.
- Mike Oz of Big League Stew released another fantastic episode of “25-Year-Old Baseball Cards,” and this one’s got Mark Teixeira and a one-dimensional Tommy Lasorda.
- Joe Mauer was snubbed in the Gold Glove this year, and Twinkie Town has some suggestions for how you can channel your anger.
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