In the preceding hours of Game 4 of the National League Division Series on Wednesday night at Petco Park, there was a quiet but palpable faith in the Dodgers dugout that belied the seemingly dire state they found themselves in.
Sure, the team faced a third straight elimination in the NLDS, losing two games to one to the San Diego Padres.
And no, they weren't at full strength, playing without injured veterans Freddie Freeman AND Miguel Rojas that same day they opted to play in the bullpen with their screwed-up pitching staff.
However, in a stark difference from the last few Octobers, they showed no signs of panic. They felt no fear.
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“We have the players and people that can do it,” outfielder Teoscar Hernandez said at a pregame news conference. “And I trust every guy in this club.”
By the end of the night, that optimism turned into post-game celebration, with the Dodgers saving the season with a clinical 8-0 victory.
Unlike last year, when they were outplayed by Arizona Diamondbacks pitchers in a season-ending loss, their lineup looked locked in, scoring three runs in the first two innings against Padres starter Dylan Cease, who was pitching for the first time in his career in the bullpen three days of rest, then added two more in the third round and gained a 5-0 advantage at the beginning.
Unlike 2022, when the Dodgers blew a late elimination lead in Game 4 in the same building, their bullpen didn't collapse either, and eight different pitchers combined to help the Dodgers lose in the postseason for the first time since the wild-card round in 2020 .
With the best-of-seven series tied 2-2, Game 5 is scheduled for Friday night at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers' road to victory in Game 4 began with: The Padres won Game 3. At his postgame press conference Tuesday night, Padres manager Mike Shildt announced that Cease, who started the first game of the series, would receive the ball in the fourth game after a three-day rest.
For some members of the Dodgers, this was good news. Not only because in their Game 1 triumph they tagged Cease with five runs in less than four innings, but also because for the first time in three postseasons they had a chance to see the same starting pitcher twice in one series.
“I think as a hitter you're just going to be ready in your zone,” Roberts said before the game about his squad's approach heading into Game 2 against Cease. “And if you make a mistake, be ready to punch him.”
From the first inning, Roberts' hitters were there.
As in Game 3, Mookie Bets set the tone with a homer in the first inning, hitting a full-pitch fastball in the middle of the zone. Instead of squandering the initial momentum like they did on Tuesday, the Dodgers simply continued to attack.
Quality second-inning at-bats from Gavin Lux (walk) and Kike Hernandez (two-strike single) led to RBI singles from Shohei Ohtani (who had just one hit in the last 12 games at this point) and Betts, bringing the score to 3-0.
Then, with Cease out of the game, the Dodgers added two more in the third period when Will Smith snapped a nine-at-bat streak and started the series with a two-run home run straight to center.
The 5-0 lead was more than enough respite for the locked-in Dodgers.
Ryan Brasier opened the game with four straight outs. From there, Anthony Banda took over, stopping a pair of baserunners in the second.
Roberts became aggressive in the third quarter, moving closer to Michael Kopech even with a five-run lead.
Left-hander Alex Vesia scored the most of anyone, pitching 1⅔ innings, and stranded two more runners in the fifth.
The mixing and matching continued from there, with Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, and Landon Knack all making it to the finish line.
While it wasn't an ideal situation for a club that spent nearly $500 million to get the ball rolling in the offseason, it worked. Luis Arraez, Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr. they had one hit each. Manny Machado went 0-fer with two strikeouts against four different pitchers.
Wednesday wasn't without some adversity for the Dodgers.
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Rojas, as expected, was unable to play due to an adductor muscle injury. Freeman was initially in the starting lineup, but less than two hours before the game, he was scratched as a result of his ongoing battle with a sprained right ankle.
But in their absence, Ohtani (one hit, two walks, one RBI), Betts (two hits and two RBI) and Teoscar Hernández (two hits) performed like stars – even considering a wild game in the fifth inning when an RBI double was possible Hernández hit third base umpire Mark Ripperger in the arm, leading to Ohtani being thrown out to home plate.
Meanwhile, the lowest score in the batting order was equally impressive.
Kiké Hernández made his first start in the series with two hits (while also switching between third base and center field, depending on whether a fly ball or ground ball pitcher was on the mound), making a strong case for staying in the lineup in the fifth match. Lux continued his hot streak with a run in the sixth and an insurance homer in the seventh inning. Even Tommy Edman, who had no hits, contributed with a sacrifice fly that resulted in a run.
Everything the Dodgers had hoped for coming into the game happened; and everything they failed to produce in the face of elimination in the previous two years.
Instead of letting another mid-series slump turn into a complete October collapse, they fought back to force a home-field winner in Chavez Ravine.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
