Multiple Dave Roberts bullpen decisions in Game 6 could have easily backfired but didn’t

The Dodges forced a Game 7 in this World Series, and they did it in the face of a pair of pitching decisions from Dave Roberts that could have easily blown up in their faces and cost them the championship.

But they didn’t, not even one of the two just to balance things out, so they held on for a 3-1 lead, their bullpen didn’t blow it, and they’ll get to try and win a World Series in a Dodger Stadium Game 7 for the first time ever. That’s far more preferable to losing because your relievers’ arms fell off after pitching too many games in a row in a must-win postseason game.

The first questionable choice came when Roberts pulled Rich Hill in the fifth inning after intentionally walking George Springer to load the bases. The Astros were up 1-0 at that point so it probably had to be done, that wasn’t the questionable part of the choice.

(Though of course Hill was angry. He’s angry when he gets taken out more often than not, as if he still isn’t completely clued in on Roberts’ set plan for him at this point. And that poor, innocent dugout water cooler keeps paying the price.)

The questionable choice was that Brandon Morrow got the nod to come in for Hill. That’s the same Morrow who, after not having pitched in three straight games in his entire 11-year career, has now been called on to pitch six straight World Series games. The same Morrow who allowed two home runs, a double, and a single, and threw a wild pitch in only six pitches in Game 5 to blow a Dodgers’ lead. The same Brandon Morrow who, before his appearance in Game 6 had thrown 159 pitches this postseason (that went up to 173 after Tuesday night).

It was a Halloween night after all, so it would have been appropriate for the undead arm of Morrow to send the Dodgers to an early postseason grave. “Here lies the Dodgers, killed on Halloween because they asked Morrow to pitch again.”

But that didn’t happen! Morrow got out of the bases loaded jam, and then got two more outs in the following inning as well before being pulled. He was facing Alex Bregman, one of Houston’s multiple postseason heroes so far, so it wasn’t a guarantee he’d be able to be the antidote to the quandary Hill had gotten the team in at all.

He only needed 14 pitches to do it though, so of course he’ll probably get called on again in Game 7 because of some twist and will have to cast a spell to keep his shoulder and elbow working in tandem for another inning of work.

The second decision of the game came at the end, and directly contradicted Roberts’ own comments before the penultimate game of the series started.

He brought closer Kenley Jansen into the game with a 3-1 lead in the eighth inning, to record a five-out save. Roberts previously stated that he only wanted three outs from Jansens in Game 6, so he’s especially lucky this one worked out in the Dodgers’ favor because having to explain why he went against his own logic in the postgame presser if Jansen blew the save sounds like an absolutely miserable task for him to face.

Plus, as MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand points out, with less than 20 pitches thrown for those five outs, he’ll most likely be called on in Game 7 on Wednesday as well so he better rest up.

Somebody get him the strongest, legal, recovery methods money can buy in the next 12 hours.

Jansen has already blown two saves in the World Series, so a third one wouldn’t have even seemed surprising at this point. It still would have been painful for Dodgers fans, the most painful of any of the blown save opportunities in fact, but it would have been of a piece.

The only difference this time being that even before he did it Roberts seemed to know that asking Jansen to do the extra work could backfire in the worst possible way. Aghhh it’s Halloween night and Jansen blew another save and there are spiders and slime all over the dugout what have we done we’ve unleashed madness on Dodger Stadium.

Just like with Morrow, Roberts escaped unscathed though. LA took home the win, a Game 7 is all cued up, and he’ll get to tempt fate with his bullpen all over again on Wednesday. The Astros’ bullpen is just a pit of live snakes and a Pennywise impersonator at this point so he still comes out ahead when it comes to his relief options in the final game of the series.