This point again seems redundant at this point, but it's worth repeating nonetheless because it's the reason the Dodgers are on the brink of another divisional round elimination: Their starting pitching is terrible.
Winter suspicions that became legitimate concerns during the regular season have turned into a full-scale disaster in these playoffs.
Incredibly, the problem everyone predicted is even more serious than imagined. In this series of the national league, their starters recorded a total average of rounds scored at the level of 10.13. The Dodgers trail the San Diego Padres in the best-of-seven series by two to one.
Dodgers starter in Wednesday's elimination game?
to be determined.
As in the topic, to be determined.
Read more: Plaschke: It's happening again. The Dodgers are one step away from another ugly October encore
“I can see one of our relievers starting to step in,” manager Dave Roberts said, because the Dodgers don't have traditional starters who are healthy and competent enough to pitch at this stage. To complete the nine rounds and extend his team's season, Roberts will rely on a parade of substitutes.
If the Dodgers force a Game 5, both will start Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was credited with five runs in three innings in Game 1, or Jack Flaherty, who was credited with four runs in 5⅓ innings in Game 2.
“This situation is not ideal,” Roberts said.
On the other hand, the situation may be worse. Third-game starter Walker Buehler The record-breaking pitcher in a 6-5 loss at Petco Park on Tuesday recovered from a six-run second inning and completed five innings. Because the Padres were the home team and didn't score in the bottom of the ninth period, the Dodgers' bullpen only had to go three innings.
“Walker did a good job of keeping his composure, still giving us some time, and then throwing a couple of zeros (in the six-run inning),” Roberts said.
Ineffective starting pitching must be judged by the curve, and the fact that Roberts did not call Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips, Ryan Brasier and Alex Vesia to pitch in the third meant that Buehler's start was not considered a complete loss. .
Buehler's second inning cost the Dodgers the game, and that doesn't count Freddie Freeman's throw to second base that ricocheted off Manny Machado's helmet, or Miguel Rojas' error in trying to run a runner to second base instead of tossing the ball to Gavin Lux . Up to this point, Buehler could be considered a victim of misfortune. However, he soon contributed to his own death.
Buehler singled David Peralta on a 1-2 count, only to give him a 95.5 mph fastball on the inside of the plate, which Peralta scored from right field to score two runs.
He also walked the next batter, Jake Cronenworth, on a 1-2 count, only to serve him a 97 mph fastball. Cronenworth hit the ball to Rojas' backhand and got on base with an infield single.
Later in the inning, Buehler had the loss of Fernando Tatis Jr. on 0-2. Buehler threw a 94.1 mph fastball to the inside of the plate, which Tatis launched for a two-run home run to extend the Padres' lead to 6-1. The game was out of reach and even Teoscar Hernández's grand slam couldn't completely erase the deficit.
“You can't go six rounds in the playoffs and expect to win,” Buehler said.
There was a time when Buehler could scare hitters away with his fastball. Coming back from a second Tommy John surgery this season, Buehler has lost that ability, prompting the Dodgers to emphasize how important it is for him to reinvent himself. But here, in the most important start of the season, he tried to outplay his opponents, just as he had done earlier in his career.
“I'm not a guy throwing 10, 11, 12 punches per nine (rounds) like I used to,” Buehler admitted. “I think as I move forward in my career, there are definitely certain things that make me feel like I can do it. But this time of year I try to get people to put the ball on the ground. And I feel pretty good about a lot of the things I've done. Of course the ones you're talking about, not a ton, reached speeds of 110 (mph), right? So, you know, they found places and gained momentum. I've talked about momentum in the playoffs ad nauseum and I just couldn't make one shot to stop it.
Only a small handful of starting pitchers have ever regained their previous level of effectiveness after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery. So how could the Dodgers count on a pitcher facing such a formidable obstacle?
Well, that's because they thought that if Buehler didn't get back to his old form, some of their other long-term bets would come to fruition. They hoped that Tyler Glasnow would stay healthy throughout the season, although that never happened. They hoped the undersized Yamamoto would dominate at a level he had never pitched at before. They hoped that Bobby Miller would develop into an elite starter.
Miscalculations could cost them their season.
Read more: The Dodgers can't overcome a disastrous inning in Game 3 of the NLDS in which they lost to the Padres
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
