The Los Angeles defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of the NLDS, even though the game was closer than necessary in the ninth inning.
When manager Dave Roberts gave right-hander Blake Treinen the nod to come out of the bullpen with a 4-1 lead, the veteran relief pitcher threw just 12 pitches, allowed two earned runs, and recorded no outs. The captain talked about the decision to put Treinen into the game in that scenario and what he didn’t see from the All-Star reliever.
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“I felt like he was gaining momentum before the last game,” Roberts said. “So I’ll check on him. But success or failure, there’s a way to go on a road trip and it’s important to me how the players hold themselves.”
“There was definitely a different look. He’s got a great pedigree in the biggest spots. But, you know, I didn’t see that edge last night, even though I’ve seen it so many times.”
Treinen had a disastrous September, ending the regular season with a 9.64 ERA in 12 games.
To Treinen and Roberts’ credit, the 37-year-old relief pitcher appeared in two games against the Cincinnati Reds in the Wild Card Round and allowed just one hit. Treinen had quite the resume in the ‘ last postseason appearance, which may have influenced Roberts’ decision.
Last season, Treinen posted a 2.19 ERA in nine games en route to winning the World Series. This resulted in 3 saves and 2 holds, resulting in two wins in Games 1 and 5 of the Fall Classic.
Treinen hasn’t been in the same form this season, but he’ll have to address that issue before the next trip in October. There aren’t many reliable arms out of the bullpen right now, so Roberts will have to stick with the few arms he can rely on in relief.
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Photo by Robert Hanahiro-USA TODAY Sports
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