close
close

Dodgers break bad streak with massive ninth inning and game

Posted on by angelo
Dodgers break bad streak with massive ninth inning and game

ATLANTA — Dave Roberts saw an opportunity to reassure players Sunday. The Los Angeles Dodgers manager had already gathered his team for an afternoon meeting as part of Roberto Clemente Day.

Roberts’ team slipped. The Dodgers slowly lost their grip on the division title. For a week, they played sloppy baseball. They found themselves on land mines and lost reinforcements. A decimated Braves club beat them in the first two nights in Atlanta.

But this gathering was not intended to be a remonstrance.

“I just wanted to let them know that we’ve been through a lot together,” Roberts said, “and I just wanted to let them know that I believe in this group and continue to play good baseball.”

The tide turned quickly. The Dodgers 9 and the Braves 2 brought air into the room within hours of Roberts’ message. The Dodgers are also hoping it’s a pattern: pitching well enough to allow an explosive offense to come to life.

It was an ugly weekend for The Battery. The Dodgers lost Tyler Glasnow for the season before this series and have struggled to find answers at pitcher. Landon Knack, who pitched for a playoff spot, lasted just two innings Friday. Jack Flaherty lasted just three innings Saturday, his worst start since being acquired at the trade deadline.

Walker Buehler suffered a similar fate Sunday night. He walked three on 31 pitches in the third inning, allowing one run without a hit and failing to ground out Marcell Ozuna or Matt Olson after getting both of them into a full count. He wobbled with the bases loaded when Jarred Kelenic hit a ball to right, where it lodged in Mookie Betts’ glove.

Buehler calmed down. For the first time since May, he completed six innings, while allowing only two runs (one earned).

“That’s his pedigree,” Roberts said. “That’s who he is and that’s what we want him to be.”

Buehler, at this point, is pitching for everything. Despite a 5.54 ERA, he remains in contention to start a playoff game next month. He will then be a free agent. More than anything, Buehler is trying to find his feet after a second Tommy John surgery. He is not playing for success.

These aren’t playoff games, “but to me, that’s kind of how I feel at this point,” Buehler said.

His positive night opened the door to catharsis. Shohei Ohtani found the right-field corner twice to score runs. Will Smith hit a ball that bounced off the top of the Truist Park brick wall and stayed in the ballpark. When Ohtani was intentionally walked in front of him, Betts pushed a shot into the hole to break a 2-2 tie. Freddie Freeman followed with a run-scoring single that went under Kelenic’s glove in left field. Teoscar Hernández, Tommy Edman and Max Muncy combined for the third straight time in less than a month.

“I don’t want to say it was the biggest win of the year, but it was huge,” Roberts said Sunday night, “just considering what we’ve been through.”

The stakes remain high. A win Sunday allowed the Dodgers to maintain a 3 1/2-game lead over the San Diego Padres for the NL West with 13 games remaining. After a loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Arizona, the Dodgers’ advantage for a much-needed first-round bye remains just as high.

More than anything, for the Dodgers to go anywhere once they finally reach October, they’ll need to show the type of firepower they display on nights like these.

“It lets us know we can do it,” Betts said.

That ability seems obvious given the trio of MVPs occupying the top three spots in that batting order. But the Dodgers managed to score just five runs in the series before the ninth inning Sunday. Facing one of baseball’s most effective relievers in Raisel Iglesias, they were able to break through.

Smith hit a triple off the wall, continuing a week of batting resurgence in a game he didn’t even start (Smith came on in the fifth for Austin Barnes, who is expected to be on the injured list after reinjuring his left big toe on a foul ball). When Andy Pages was removed without walking Smith, Braves manager Brian Snitker became the second opposing manager this month to intentionally walk Ohtani in front of Betts. Two weeks ago, Betts punished Angels manager Ron Washington with a home run. This time, Betts singled up the middle.

“I wouldn’t throw it at him either,” Betts said. “Luckily, I was able to get away with it.”

Seven runs were scored before the end of the inning. Hernandez, Edman and Muncy each sent baseballs into the seats, forcing the Dodgers bench to scramble for sunflower seeds.

“Anytime you break through, it’s a relief,” Betts said. “It’s hard to stay confident. But I think we did a really good job of staying confident and knowing we can do it, keeping the pressure on until we do.”

For the night, the Dodgers found a version of themselves capable of winning games in October. A version that Roberts tried to remind them was still there, even as a series of pitching injuries depleted their high-priced roster.

“He tells us we’re still good,” Betts said of Roberts’ message. “He just instills in us that you have to keep fighting, keep fighting and things will eventually change.”

On Sunday night, they did it in a hurry.

“I just think there are certain times in a season where it’s a good reminder for guys to know how good they are, but you also have to play like it,” Roberts said.

(Photo by Tommy Edman and Teoscar Hernandez: Dale Zanine / USA Today)