If It Ain t Broke, Don t Fix It, Doc!
The box score said that Brandon McCarthy lost last night game. I beg to differ. It was the Dodger s Manager, Dave Roberts who lost the game for the Dodgers and he lost it in the top of the 5th inning when he removed Rich Hill from the game. Yes, the next six batters were RH hitters, but everyone knows that Rich Hill has reverse splits: LH hitters are better against
The box score said that Brandon McCarthy lost last night game. I beg to differ. It was the Dodger’s Manager, Dave Roberts who lost the game for the Dodgers and he lost it in the top of the 5th inning when he removed Rich Hill from the game. Yes, the next six batters were RH hitters, but everyone knows that Rich Hill has reverse splits: LH hitters are better against him than RH hitters. I rarely second guess and it’s very unusual for me to question strategy, but I said that when Hill was taken out in the 5th inning it was a dumbass move and I stand by it. Come on, Doc!
Rich Hill had only thrown 60 pitches and clearly had (at the minimum) another inning (maybe two) in him. But Dave Roberts pulled him to bring in Kenta Maeda who was very solid. It was just an inning or two too soon and it came back to bite Doc in the butt! Doc lost this game! Come on, Doc!
Look, the Dodgers had 27 consecutive scoreless innings thrown by their bullpen in the playoffs. THAT IS SIMPLY NOT SUSTAINABLE! It IS BOUND TO EVEN even out … even Ray Charles can see that… and it did! The more the pen pitches, the more likely it is they will give up some runs, especially when you get to Stripling, Fields and McCarthy. On a night when Rich Hill was very good, he was taken out after just 4 innings where he struck out 7 and threw just 60 pitches. Yes, he was pissed and so was I! Come on, Doc!
By pulling Rich Hill after 4 innings , Doc Roberts anointed the bullpen as the Dodger’s savior and the odds were long that it could be. This loss is on Dave Roberts. He should have allowed Rich Hill to pitch deeper into the game. I totally “get” taking Clayton Kershaw out after seven innings, even though he was low in his pitch count and dominant, but taking Rich Hill out after four innings was indefensible! Rich Hill could have went five innings… most likely six innings. Then you bring in Maeda to pitch an inning or so, maybe Cingrani or Watson and then hand the ball to Morrow for the 8th and Kenley for the 9th.
The bullpen had way too much exposure! Giving Rich Hill and extra inning or two, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE WAS STILL VERY EFFECTIVE would have limited that exposure. Come on, Doc! It wasn’t broke and you tried to fix it! I rarely criticize moves made by the manager because it is very subjective, but this one I violently disagreed from Jump Street! Dave Roberts is my favorite Dodgers manager… ever! He should be the NL Manager of the Year. He’s a very smart guy but that was a dumb decision. Learn from it, Dave. Come on, Doc!
Last night win gave the Astros hope when they could have headed back to Houston crushed and defeated. They were resilient and kept coming back after the bullpen kept coughing up leads – that’s the good thing about this team. They are fighters… junkyard dogs and in my book, being called a “junkyard dog” is the ultimate honor. They will put this behind them and com out with guns blazing in Houston where we need Yu Darvish to go a strong seven as well. The good news is that Kenley Jansen should not have another bad game.
It was an incredible game in which a hat saved a run and an umpire did the same. These are Destiny’s Dodgers. Say “I Believe!” The heroes weren’t many last night: Hill, Seager, Puig, Joc, Kike and Cingrani as the Astro pitching held the Dodgers to 5 hits, but the manager snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with the bonehead decision to take out Rich Hill. Houston gave the Dodgers their best shot and the Dodgers we set to beat them. If you haven’t noticed, this really sticks in my craw!
P.S. Did someone whisper in Adrian Gonzalez ear “We are paying you – you can’t go on vacation during the World Series?”
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Discussion (59)
Disagree, not disagreeable
I agree. Doc over managed. Doc has made great decisions all throughout the play offs. Tonight was not one of those games. There were at least four decisions that I think were wrong.
1. Pulling Hill after four innings.
2. Pulling Stripling after four pitches.
3. Pulling Morrow after one hit in the 8th.
4. Asking Jansen to get six outs.
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If your plan is to use Morrow and Jansen to pitch the 7-8-9, then you have to let Morrow get at least one out and maybe two depending on how Morrow was throwing. You cannot ask Jansen to get six outs. Especially when he pitched the night before. Morrow is just as effective as Jansen.
This is what I thought Doc was going to do in the 7-8-9. Morrow would pitch the 7th. Jansen was going to pitch the 8th. He would mix and match with Fields and Cingrani in the 9th. In the 8th the Astros had their 2-3-4 hitters coming up. All right handlers and good hitters. Good place for Jansen. When Morrow came for the 8th. I thought ok, he is going to share the 8-9 with Morrow and Jansen. I was ok with that decision. However, Doc pulled Morrow after one hit and that was wrong.
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Here is what I am afraid has happened. Doc damaged the confidence of three pitchers. They are Hill, Stripling and Morrow.
when I sad Run I means make the plays correctly
After the game it could be seen as a mistake to change Hill, but at that time I would have changed it, Roberts, I tried to prevent the Astros from being up for more career as Velander was throwing at that time two or more career of advantage would be very difficult to reach. I think the Dodgers lost because they stopped doing what they were doing very well … that was to run … .Utly failed in the first race, Peterson failed to bring the fourth race when he was in third base, Jensen put a ball in the center with the count 0-2, Filds and McCarthy pathetic … that was the reason for the defeat: not run.
The teaching of defeat is that we only have 5 relievers: Watson, Ciangini, Jensen, Morrow and Maeda … Taylor, Tuener, Seager and Puig very well … .Peterson and Barnes very badly … Belinger more or less … .Utly ugly …
The series will be very interesting, now Astros have the psychological advantage, we must wait until the season ends to draw conclusions, including Agon,
Go Dodgers.
I live and breathe Dodgers baseball. I was so heartbroken about last night’s game that I was going to take 24-48 hours away from baseball for my sanity and so I would not have to increase my anti-depression medication. But I could not stay away from here. I tried, but something kept pulling me back in. I said it at the time Hill was removed that it was a mistake. There was nothing wrong with how he was pitching. He kept getting himself out of trouble. Why the rush? 60 pitches in 4 innings is a 15 pitch average. That’s 90 for 6 innings, and Hill can do that no problem. As much as I dislike John Smoltz as a commentator, he said the same thing. “At some point it is going to bite you”. He said it at least three times BEFORE the 8th. Stripling, Fields, McCarthy should never be used in high leverage situations in the playoffs. Let your starters go. I blamed Doc. Friends blamed Doc. But we all counter that by believing that the Dodgers would not be where they are without him at the helm. It’s just so hurtful when it happens in Game 2 of the WS. So there is absolutely nothing I disagree with on this post, and now I am going back into my shell.
Don’t agree at all.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but the move was the right one.
Third time through the lineup and five tough RHBs, Maeda made a lot more sense.
The Astros are really good, don’t make up narratives.
You might be right! Tension-packed game all night. I thought more than once “this game is over for the Dodgers”. They did a great job of coming back. I hope the silver linging of the loss is that the offense has increased confidence and that last night was just the beginning of scoring runs for the Dodgres.