Disgruntled Dave Roberts Says,
“There Is No Way We Should Have Lost This Game”
The Los Angeles Dodgers had every opportunity to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays and complete the three game sweep on Sunday afternoon, but time and time again the Dodgers left multiple men on base, leaving the door wide open for the Jays to capitalize, and they did just that.
Los Angeles took a slim 3-2 lead going into the 8th inning when they ushered in reliever Blake Treinen to hold Toronto in check. After striking out Bo Bichette, Treinen gave up back to back homers to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Addison Barger. Blake would shut down the next two batters, but the damage was done. The Dodgers were now trailing the Blue Jays 4-3 going into the bottom of the eighth.
Somehow though, the Dodgers managed to scratch and claw their way back into the game. After Alex Freeland opened the inning with a walk, Alex Call sacrifice bunted him over to second. Ohtani was intentionally walked, (for the second time in the game), and when Will Smith walked, the bases were loaded up for Freddie Freeman. After going down in the count 1-2, a patient Freeman took a walk that forced in the tying run. Michael Conforto was called upon to pinch hit with the bases still loaded. With the count 3-1 Conforto was served up a center cut fast ball. All Conforto could manage to do with the pitch was hit a weak pop-up to the catcher and dash any hopes of a big inning for Los Angeles.
After the game manager Dave Roberts said of the Conforto at bat, “I mean, you can”t ask for a better pitch. You get into a count at 3-1 or 3-2, they are more apt to throw something soft. But at 3-1 and you get a pitch that soft, we couldn’t have put it on a Tee better, and we got to move it forward!”
The top of the ninth could not have started any worse for Los Angeles. On the very first pitch, Toronto’s Ernie Clement took Alex Vesia’s 85mph slider over the left center field wall and putting the Jays back on top 5-4. Vesia would wiggle out the inning with no further damage done, but the Dodgers only had three outs to work with to get themselves back into the game.
The bottom of the ninth inning for the Dodgers was very similar to the previous inning. Andy Pages and Max Muncy walked to open the ninth. Freeland sacrificed bunted, moving the runners to second and third. Then Call walked to load the bases with one out. Ohtani would strike out swinging and when Mookie Betts grounded out to third base the game was was over and the Blue Jays secured the victory. Dave Roberts summed things up after the game saying, “This was frustrating. I felt there was no way we should have lost this game today.”
There were some positive notes for the Dodgers in the loss though. Tyler Glasnow pitched well. Over his 5.2 innings pitched, Glasnow struck out 8 while allowing only 2 runs. Ohtani hit his 41st homer in the first inning and Freeman ht his 14th dinger in the first inning as well.
But, the bobbled ball by Pages in the 1st inning and the botched attempt to steal third base by Ohtani with Freeman at the plate were unacceptable. “That was his (Ohatni’s) decision,” said Roberts, “Not good baseball.” And let’s not forget, Los Angeles left the bases loaded three times.
With the San Diego Padres just two games behind the Dodgers and a huge head to head series right around the corner, it’s time for the Dodgers to clean things up before they lose their grip on first place in the NL West.
Article: William Trillo
