The Dodgers trailed by seven runs at one point on Tuesday. There is not much understanding in checking the anatomy of blows.
But, for the Dodgers, this is something incredibly painful about a one-run defeat, as the Atlanta Braves are halfway through the World Series.
Dodgers’ 8-7 defeat in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series forced a close test in the fifth inning. In one game they rallied and eventually lost by one run, an innings in which they gave up four in a series of questionable decisions.
Toji Gonsolin, Peter, who started Dodgers, was making his first appearance in 17 days. Dodgers appeared to react slowly as he lost command.
He hit the wind on the first three innings, nine up, nine down, 28 pitches. He needed 33 pitches to avoid the fourth inning, including two runs, one walk and two hits – including Freddie Freeman’s home run – to put the Dodgers in a 2-0 hole.
The Dodgers were hoping Gonsolin could survive one more innings, at the bottom of the Braves lineup.
Austin Stein exited the relay, but on full count. Nick Marcas walked on the 10 pitch, and television cameras rushed to get the Reliever Black train ready. Christian Peach knocked a full-calculated fastball ball into the corner of the left field, giving the Marquis a 3-0 lead.
Gonsolin said the fatigue did not stabilize, but he lost sharpness on his slider and splitter.
“I was working a little harder to make it overly nasty.”
At the time, Gonsolin had 22 pitches from three batters, including a three-ball count on all of them. Braves’ lineup flipped to the top. The Dodgers were careful to avoid using Gonsolin on the third trip through the lineup this season.
With a 2-0 deficit, Roberts said he would have summoned Trainen. With a deficit of -0-0, he didn’t.
“In a three-run deficit game, thinking about bringing in your most advantageous fifth inning, it doesn’t make sense,” Roberts said.
The two asked no random Gonsolin to confront Ronald Akuna. Gonsolin threw a strike, then four consecutive balls, one of which bounced out of the left-handed box and the other out of the left-handed box. Akuna bats with his right hand.
Freeman, who has scored two home runs in his first six at-bats in the series, is the Braves’ best hitter. The situation prompted Dodgers left-handed relief expert Adam Colerack. Although Kolarek was getting hot, the Dodgers turned to right-handed Pedro Baz.
If there had been two outs instead of one, Dodgers would have called Collark, hoping he would retire Freeman to finish the inning, then use the bass to start the sixth inning. However, in the rule of three new batsmen, Clarke had to face freeman and later right-hander Marcel Ozuna.
“You’ve been put in a difficult position with that three-better rule,” Roberts said.
Base arrived, who left one, two walks and a sacrificial fly. By then, the Dodgers were trailing 6-0. They eventually lost by one run, then Kolarek gave up one run in the mop-up innings.
This begs the question why Colerac is on the roster in the first place.
The Dodgers looked bright to include him on its roster last October, at least through the first three games of the division series against the Washington Washington Citizens. Kolarek had one goal: to neutralize the Citizens’ best hitter, Juan Soto, who bats left-handed.
In Game 1, Clarke struck Soto. In Game 2, Kolark landed him on the field. In Game 3, Clarke struck him again.
Kolarek did not face any other batsman. However, in the decisive game 5, the Dodgers bypassed him twice: in the eighth inning for Clayton Kershaw, who gave Soto a home run by tying the game; And for El Kelly in the 10th, Soto went ahead of Hoi Kendrick’s game-winning Grand Slam.
If all the Dodgers really trust Colarek to do this October, retiring the left-handed batter for a third of the inning, is also a luxury on a 15-man pitching staff. And, while Yogi Bera would not have heard the word ‘high leverage’, he would have known right now how to give it to the detractors: it’s getting too late from there.
