In Monday’s high-stakes matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts found himself under scrutiny once again for his late-inning bullpen decisions. Rather than handing the ball to his electrifying young closer, Roki Sasaki, to open the ninth inning, Roberts turned to a veteran arm who has long been trusted in critical postseason moments: Blake Treinen.
Treinen, who has a well-earned reputation as one of the Dodgers’ most battle-tested relievers, has pitched in some of the club’s most pivotal games over the years. But on this particular night, he struggled to deliver the sharp, composed outing fans have grown accustomed to seeing. After taking the mound with a 4-1 lead, Treinen quickly found himself in trouble, surrendering multiple hits and allowing the Phillies to trim the deficit to just one run.
Ultimately, Roberts was forced to pull Treinen before he could record three outs, opting instead to bring in left-hander Alex Vesia to settle the inning. Vesia managed to halt the Phillies’ momentum and, with two outs in the ninth and the tying run on base, Roberts finally turned to his phenom closer. Sasaki came in to record the final out, preserving the Dodgers’ narrow 4-3 victory.
Despite the win, Roberts’ decision-making in the ninth inning quickly became a hot topic of discussion. Many fans questioned why Sasaki—known for his triple-digit fastball and dominant late-season performances—wasn’t brought in to start the frame. Speaking to reporters after the game, Roberts explained his rationale for leaning on Treinen instead of his young closer.
“I thought about it,” Roberts admitted when asked about using Sasaki earlier. “He hasn’t gone two of three much, at all. Just figuring the run right there, Blake’s pitched some of the biggest outs, innings in the postseason for us. And I felt really confident right there. And with (Alex) Vesia behind him, if needed. So I didn’t want to just, kind of, preemptively put (Sasaki) in there. Again, I felt good with who we had with a couple of our highest-leverage relievers.”
Roberts’ comments highlighted his desire to protect his rookie closer's health while trusting his veteran bullpen arms. Although the strategy almost failed, the Dodgers managed to win and maintain control of the series. However, Monday’s tense game emphasized the tough choices managers face in October and renewed the debate over whether Roberts should fully entrust Sasaki with the ninth inning going forward. Heading into the Dodgers' next matchup, they hold a 2-0 lead, and with one more win, they'll advance to the NLCS, where they will likely face either the Chicago Cubs or Milwaukee Brewers.