In Game 4 of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen delivered a strong performance. The Dodgers bullpen shut out the Padres offense in an 8-0 victory on the road at Petco Park, keeping the series alive.
After losing the previous two games to the Padres, the Dodgers needed a strong showing from their pitching unit. The Dodgers’ pitching was a question mark entering the postseason, especially after Tyler Glasnow, Gavin Stone, and Clayton Kershaw were all ruled out for the rest of the season. Due to these injuries, the Dodgers were limited to Walker Buehler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Jack Flaherty as starting pitchers.
None of their starters pitched particularly well when they finally took the mound. Yamamoto, Buehler, and Flaherty all let up at least four earned runs in their outings against the Padres.
The Dodgers’ bullpen did, though. On Wednesday, the Dodgers used eight different relievers, none of whom gave up a run. Ryan Brasier, Anthony Banda, Michael Kopech, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, and Landon Knack combined to allow seven hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts in the game, putting the Dodgers back in the lead and forcing a fifth game in the series.
According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Padres’ Xander Bogaerts praised the team’s relievers for their pitching. “There were some extremely challenging at-bats tonight. We had to work for our pitches. They came in with a relief attitude. “They all performed flawlessly.”
“It’s part of the game,” David Peralta explained. “It is postseason. “They have a good bullpen.”
The bullpen’s performance was even more amazing given that it faced a Padres lineup that led MLB in hits and batting average this season. They limited a Padres offense that leads the postseason in home runs to just one run, the first time the Padres have failed to score in a game since July 19.
The Dodgers will now look to Yamamoto on Friday to start Game 5 as they attempt to progress to the NLCS. Can the Dodgers again dominate the Padres lineup? Or will San Diego rebound?
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Be the first to comment